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Current Patients 410-989-5755

7556 Teague Road Suite 106 Hanover, MD 21076

Post Operative Care for Dental Implants Hanover MD

Following your dental implant treatment at the Elevate Dental Implant Center, Dr. Sumitra Yalamanchili and Dr. Shalini Sethi recommend minimizing contact with the implant for the first two weeks after placement. Patients should eat soft foods and, if possible, chew away from the implant site.

In addition, avoid touching your sutures. We will help you schedule a follow-up appointment two weeks after your implant procedure, where we will remove the sutures.

Request a consultation with Dr. Yalamanchili and Dr. Sethi online to restore the gaps in your smile. Call our Hanover, Maryland dental office at 410-205-4997. Learn more tips about how to care for your dental implants after your treatment below.

Post-Op dental implant care in Hanover, Maryland

Care for the Rest of the Day

After your surgery, make sure that you go home and rest. You shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous or operating machinery on the day of your implant procedure. It’s also essential for you to avoid doing anything that will disturb the blood clot at the implantation site.

Instead of spitting, swallow your saliva or clean it with a tissue or napkin. Don’t use a straw. Drink straight from the cup instead. Avoid smoking and alcohol, as these can slow the healing process. Keep your fingers and tongue away from the implant site. If you’re poking and prodding it, it’s more likely that the clot will be disturbed or dislodged. This messes up the entire healing process.

Care for the Following Days

You can brush your teeth like you normally would, but avoid brushing over any surgical site. You can start saltwater rinses the day after your surgery. Use warm salt water, and ensure you’re rinsing very gently. When used properly, saltwater rinses are ideal for helping the healing process and easing inflammation.

Unless someone tells you otherwise, your sutures are designed to be dissolvable. They should fall out on their own, and it’s not something you need to worry about. This usually happens 4-10 days after your surgery. If you’ve had a bone graft at the same time as the implant placement, you may notice some gritty material in your mouth. This should go away on its own after a couple of days.

Stay resting as long as you’re taking narcotic pain medications. They can turn even small activities into dangerous ones. You can slowly resume your normal activities when you’re no longer taking the medication. Go slowly when you’re getting back into your normal routine. Exercise should be increased gradually; don’t immediately try to go full tilt and overdo it.

Bleeding and Swelling

Following your dental implant surgery, you will experience bleeding at the surgical site. This bleeding will continue for several hours but can be treated with gauze. Fold damp gauze over the extraction site and gently bite on it for 30-60 minutes. Replace the gauze when it is soaked through. After implant surgery, you will see pink or blood-tinged saliva for two to three days.

You will also experience swelling, a normal reaction to the procedure. The swelling will peak two to three days following surgery and can continue for up to ten days. Apply ice packs to the outside of your face for 20 minutes and then 20 minutes off for the first 24 hours. Forty-eight hours after your surgery, you may use a warm, moist compress to combat swelling.

Medications

We recommend taking medications such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil after your anesthetic wears off. These medications are non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory. However, if you are currently taking medications such as Plavix or Coumadin, do not take Ibuprofen or aspirin products. Let our team know if you take Plavix or Coumadin, and we will offer you a different medication to treat your pain.

Additionally, if you are feeling severe pain following your treatment, let us know, and we may prescribe narcotic pain medication. Alternate this medication with Ibuprofen every two hours. You may take only Ibuprofen or Tylenol once you feel comfortable enough to stop taking the narcotic medication.

Foods and Drinks

Avoid hot liquids or foods and carbonated beverages while your mouth is still numb. Once the numbness wears off, you can progress to eating solid foods. A list of foods and drinks you can consume includes:

  • Water
  • Juice
  • Applesauce
  • Jell-O
  • Pudding
  • Yogurt
  • Milkshakes
  • Soups
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Creamed Cereals
  • Eggs
  • Pancakes
  • Pasta