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Getting a dental implant at Carlson Family Dentistry? You may be wondering what to expect from the recovery process. Dr. Cade or Dr. Carlson will provide you with a full list of instructions and a detailed overview of your recovery after your procedure, but we’ve put together a quick guide to the dental implant healing timeline below. Read on, and see what you can expect after your surgery.
Right after surgery, you will need to keep a gauze pack over your implant to ensure that blood clots form properly. You will likely start to experience some pain and discomfort as your sedation and numbing wear off.
You can eat right away, but we recommend waiting until your mouth stops bleeding. Pudding, yogurt, smoothies, and other liquid foods are best, as they’re the easiest to eat after surgery. Go home, rest, and relax.
When it comes to oral hygiene, you can brush normally except for your implant site. Rinse your implant site with a prescription mouth rinse or salt water rinse to keep it clean. Do not spit forcefully, since this could dislodge your blood clots and interfere with healing.
During this time, you should continue eating a diet of soft foods. Continue to maintain the same oral hygiene routine, brushing your teeth and rinsing your implant site.
You can go back to work, but we highly recommend avoiding heavy exertion or exercise, which could cause discomfort and contribute to bleeding.
During this time, pain and other symptoms like swelling and bruising tend to peak and then fade. After about 3 days, you should no longer be bleeding at all, and your pain should start to go away. You can take over-the-counter medication and ice the cheek to help with pain and discomfort.
After 3-4 days, you can start eating firmer foods like mashed potatoes and soft scrambled eggs. Around this time, you can also start brushing the implant site gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush, as long as it’s not too tender or painful.
You can also resume exercise about 3-4 days after your surgery. Your implant may be a little tender, but you can go back to your normal exercise routine.
Your symptoms will continue to fade for the next few days, until they’re mostly gone by the end of the first week.
A week after surgery, you can usually start eating your normal diet again, though we recommend that you avoid really crunchy foods (potato chips, for example), since they can cause pain and could harm the implant site.
After about 2 weeks, your mouth will be almost completely healed, and you may need to come into our office for a follow-up. Your implant site may be a little bit tender to the touch, but you shouldn’t be experiencing any other major symptoms. At this time, you can eat whatever you want, with no further dietary restrictions.
If you’re interested in dental implants in Littleton, Columbine, or Columbine Valley, Dr. Cade and Dr. Carlson are here to help. Implants are the best way to restore missing teeth. They look and feel natural, have a 30+ year lifespan, and require minimal special care. So don’t wait. Contact Us Online or call today at (303) 932-6018 to schedule a consultation and see if implants are right for you.
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