What To Expect After Getting Dental Implants

If you are going to have dental implants put in, you want to become educated on the healing process. This way, you know what to expect after you have the procedure done and while you are recovering at home. This article will help you learn what you should know about the healing process with implants.

What to expect immediately after the procedure

You will be sedated for the procedure, and you can expect to come out of it fairly slowly. You need to have someone there with you to drive you home from the dentist's office. The medicine they use to sedate you should keep you comfortable for at least a few hours after the procedure. The dentist will also send you home with a prescription for pain relievers. Have it filled before you get home so you don't find yourself needlessly hurting later in the day.

You should expect a fair amount of discomfort to set in after the original medication wears off. At this point, you want to begin taking your pain medication. Take the next one at the scheduled time. Don't wait until you start to hurt again since the medication will take a while to work.

Depending on the number of implants you have had put in, you can expect the pain and discomfort to last for as long as 10 days. You may also experience a good deal of swelling for the first few days. However, you should be able to go back to your normal routine within a day or so.

How to care for your new dental implants

While it's important to continue with good oral hygiene, you want to be extremely careful when you are brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth very slowly and carefully. Once you get to the area with the implants, you can switch to a piece of gauze with some toothpaste on it. This way, you won't scrape the bristles of the toothbrush against your very sensitive and still irritated gums.

Eat soft foods that don't require chewing until you feel you are up to eating foods that are a bit more solid. Increase solids slowly, allowing yourself to really gauge how easy they are going to be for you to chew.

Now that you know what to expect the first few days after getting dental implants, you can prepare properly for the experience. For more information, talk to an experienced dentist or oral surgeon.