How healthy are your teeth? Although many people are quick to underestimate their dental health, the fact of the matter is that there are a lot of different elements that play into overall dental wellness. From how often you brush and floss to how regularly you attend regular checkups, it is important to stay in close communication with your dentist, especially if you come down with a new symptom. The purpose of this website is to help people to understand and resolve dental issues, since small symptoms can lead to big problems down the road. Check out these posts to learn more about dental care.
If you are getting dental implants, you're likely wondering what will happen during the recovery process. Here are a few things that you should know about going through recovery.
1. Pain and Swelling
The surgical site will be a bit painful following the procedure, which is perfectly normal. You can expect the pain and swelling to last two to three days, and then it will start to get better. However, both should always get better rather than worse. If you still are experiencing pain and swelling after about a week, or the pain and swelling increases, reach out to your dentist. It's possible that there is an infection in the surgical site and it needs to be treated as soon as possible.
2. Bleeding
Another common issue to deal with after the surgery is bleeding. It is normal to experience some bleeding for a day or two after the procedure, but the bleeding will go away on its own. Contact your dentist if the bleeding continues beyond that time frame or the surgical site is hemorrhaging blood.
3. Bruising
Bruising is not very common if you only need one implant installed. However, it will likely happen if you need multiple implants or a bone graft procedure. It is common for the bruising to appear two to three days after the surgery, and it could take a week for the bruising to go away on its own. In some situations, the bruising may last up to two weeks.
4. Sutures
Ask your dentist about the kind of sutures they will use for your dental implant procedure. They may use sutures that dissolve on their own or the ones that require that the dentist takes them out. Non-dissolving sutures are more common when bone grafting is required and will need to be removed around two to four weeks after the surgical procedure.
5. Post-Surgery Care
There are many things that you'll be told to do when you return home after the surgical procedure. You'll need to avoid rinsing, spitting, or using a straw for the first 24 hours after the procedure. This can put a lot of pressure in your mouth and disrupt the surgical site. You'll also want to avoid touching the surgical site for a week after the procedure since this could impact how the area heals. Don't pull back your lip to look at it, touch it from the outside, or try to feel it with your fingers on the inside.