You can think of the success of your Dental Implants in Mississauga and proper aftercare in 3 stages:
1.1. Implant Care Right After Your Surgery
You just had small surgery so there might be some pain and swelling for a day or two. This is part of the healing process and is normal. https://www.peeldentist.com/posts/do-dental-implants-hurt
Here are just a few things you can do after your treatment:
- Have someone pick you up from the surgery and take you home.
- Keep your head elevated and upright.
- Don’t move around too much for the first 8-12 hours and avoid strenuous exercise.
- Do not rinse your mouth out for the first 24 hours.
- Keep an icepack handy and apply every 15 minutes as needed.
- Eat soft! For the first 24-48 hours, only eat soft foods and beverages like oatmeal, jello, etc.
- Make sure to take all prescribed medication.
Until the implant fuses with your jawbone
After the first few days, you have to wait a few months, sometimes up to 6 months for your implant to fuse with your jawbone. This is normal and it’s to ensure the implant will not move or be able to come out again.
During this time, you might have to change a few things to ensure there are no complications during your healing time. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you have a long happy life with your implant.
Get a softer toothbrush
In general, hard bristled toothbrushes are bad for your teeth but especially so after implant surgery. Nylon toothbrushes can be used to ensure you don’t scratch the implant. Also, avoid any metal instruments in your mouth as well.
Avoid abrasive products
Make sure you get only toothpaste and mouthwash that are meant for sensitive teeth.
Avoid gooey, hard and sticky foods
These types of foods are destructive to implants so please try to avoid them as much as possible. Not to mention, they tend to be damaging to your natural teeth as well!
Here are the worst foods for implants:
- Toffee
- Hard candy
- Sticky caramel
- Peanut brittle
- Carrots
- Celery
- Apples
- Steak
Food can get around the implants and build up on your adjacent teeth or in any crevice. That’s why we have to be careful. When in doubt, ask the dentist if a food is safe to eat!
Avoid Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking and alcohol can be extremely damaging on implants both directly and indirectly. They both act to damage and slow down the healing of the implant. They should be minimized if you cannot cut them out completely.
Some people ask “How can I cover a missing tooth at home?” You shouldn’t because a healing cap would have been placed on the implant after your surgery. This cap will be removed once you are healed and the crown is ready. Until then, do not cover it with anything else.
After the Crown is Placed
Once you have healed, you will get the natural looking dental crown attached to the implant. And you are done! However, responsibilities for the long term care of your implant don’t stop there.
Don’t forget to floss
More and more people are remembering to floss every day. It’s very important that you floss around the implant to make sure plaque doesn’t build up. While replacement teeth are immune to cavities, food does get under implants!
The crown is permanently fixed to your implant so you wouldn’t remove it for cleaning. To floss around an implant you can use unwaxed tape or implant special floss and just floss like you would with normal teeth.
If you don’t like flossing, perhaps you would benefit more from using a Waterpik.
Don’t forget your dentist
Make sure to visit us for your regular recare appointments for your exams, x-rays, cleanings. Dental implants can get infected years later so you want to keep up your dental visits to prevent avoid future problems like that.
During this time, your gums should heal and conform nicely to the replacement tooth. Your gums will not grow over your dental implant crown.
Book your implant consultation today
Simply book your free consultation today so we can go over your situation and your options. If you wish to book your appointment or for free, friendly advice, call Dr. Bobby Brown and Associates.
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