What Happens After Your Dental Implant Placement

Here at Dugan & Sweeney Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, we offer many exceptional solutions to help our patients restore their self-confidence, smile ascetics, and oral health. Dental implants are just one solution that we believe provides our Pittsburgh, PA patients with exceptional results. We also believe that our patients should understand what happens after their dental implants placement so that they can better prepare themselves for long-term success. This blog is intended to help our patients understand what will happen after they leave our office. Keep in mind that patients will be sent home with a comprehensive list of after-care instructions, as well as a number to call after office hours.

Continue reading to learn more about what you can expect after your dental implant placement.

1) Swelling

Swelling usually happens after any form of surgery and can last for 2 to 3 days after your surgery. Patients can reduce swelling by placing ice packs on the area every 20 minutes with a rest for twenty minutes between. Swelling that does not go away after 4-5 days may indicate infection. Call our office for further direction if you notice unusual swelling.

2) Bleeding

A moderate amount of bleeding is normal after surgery. If you notice excessive bleeding, bite down on a gauze pack. To control excess bleeding, sit upright, avoid physical activity, and follow your doctor’s aftercare instructions carefully.

3) Eating

Patients should avoid eating until all feeling in the tongue and mouth have returned to normal. Soft, room temperature food can be eaten. But patients should be sure to chew away from the surgical site and avoid hard foods if possible.

4) Drinking

Drinking is okay after oral surgery, but patients should NOT DRINK THROUGH A STRAW, RINSE, OR SPIT. These actions could result in bleeding, excess saliva, and injury to delicate oral tissues. Patients should let the excess fluid drip into the sink, but not rinse or spit. Drinks should be room temperature and patients should stick with water or mild juice.

5) Pain

Most patients experience mild pain following oral surgery. To reduce discomfort, patients should take their medication as prescribed by their doctor. If pain or swelling gets worse, call our office for further direction.

6) Nausea

Some patients experience nausea after the anesthesia wears off or when they swallow blood. These are common, but should be monitored carefully. If you experience this reaction, try eating crackers or sipping ginger ale. If nausea continues longer than a few days, call our office right away.

7) Bruising

Bruising and discoloration are normal after oral surgery and can last for 2-3 days after your surgery. Using ice in the area can help keep bruising to a minimum.

8) Antibiotics

Antibiotics are usually prescribed to prevent infection after most kinds of surgery. Always take your antibiotics as directed and discontinue use if an adverse reaction occurs.

9) Smoking

Using tobacco products after oral surgery can prevent proper healing and significantly increase pain around the implant site. This is why we advise our patients to discontinue tobacco use while healing from dental implant placement.

10) Side Effects

Normal side effects after dental implant surgery are sore throat, dry lips, pain when swallowing, difficulty opening your mouth, and stiffness of the jaw muscles following your oral surgery. If these symptoms do not disappear a few days, you will need to call us.

11) Complications

Some patients experience an increase in temperature after oral surgery. This is normal, but should be monitored. However, if your temperature increases for more than 24 hours or you experience abnormal bleeding, swelling, pain or other problems, you will need to call our office right away.

Get Beautiful Dental Implants In Pittsburgh, PA

Dental implants are an outstanding option for replacing missing or damaged teeth. If you would you like to learn more about this tooth replacement option, please read through the rest of infosite. We proudly serve patients in the Pittsburgh, Butler, Zelienople, and Greenville areas. We can’t wait to help you get onto the path to a better smile today, so call us now for a no-obligation consultation.

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