Surgical Instructions

After Placement of Dental Implants

Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. There will be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gingival (gum) tissue.

Bleeding

Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding (your mouth fills up rapidly with blood) can be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for 45-60 minutes. If bleeding continues please call for further instructions.

Swelling

Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice bag, or a plastic bag, or towel filled with ice on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice for 30-40 minutes of each hour, as much as possible, for the first 24-48 hours.

Diet

Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid hot liquids or food. Soft food and liquids should be eaten on the day of surgery. Return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.

Pain

You should begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate pain, Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol may be taken every 4-6 hours. Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) may be taken instead of Tylenol. Ibuprofen, bought over the counter comes in 200 mg tablets: 3 tablets may be taken every 6 hours as needed for pain. If you have kidney problems, please consult with your surgeon before using Ibuprofen or Motrin as a pain reliever after surgery. For severe pain, the prescribed medication should be taken as directed. Do not take any of the above medication if you are allergic, or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it. If you are taking a pain medication prescribed by the doctor, check to see if the medication also contains Tylenol (Acetaminophen). If it does, you should not be taking additional over-the-counter Tylenol with the prescibed medication because this will result in Tylenol over-dosing which is toxic to your liver. If you have questions about your medications, ask one of our doctors or the pharmacist where you fill your prescriptions.

Antibiotics

Be sure to take the prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection.

Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is essential to good healing.  The day after surgery, the prescribed Peridex mouth rinse should be used twice daily, after breakfast and before bed. Please do not use Peridex mouth rinse longer than one week without consulting with one of our doctors because prolonged usage can result in temporary staining of the teeth. Be sure to rinse for at least 30 seconds then spit it out. Warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) should be used at least 4-5 times a day, as well, especially after meals. Mouth rinses and salt water are not substitues for tooth brushing and should only be used as an adjunct in your oral hygeine regimen. Brushing your teeth and the healing abutment twice a day is essential for good healing. Be gentle initially with brushing the surgical areas.

Activity

Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. If you are considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this occurs, you should discontinue exercising. Keep in mind that you are probably not taking normal nourishment. This may weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise.

Wearing your Prosthesis

Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures may or may not be used immediately after your implant surgery. Each individual case is different. Your doctor will discuss this with you at the pre-operative evaluation and all efforts will be made to accomodate your esthetic and functional needs post-operatively without compromising the healing of your implants.