Post Operation Patient Care Instructions

Post-Op: Dental Implants

ACTIVITY: After leaving our office today, we suggest you relax and limit your activity for the remainder of the day. You can start light activity the day after surgery if you feel up to it.  For the first 2-3 days avoid extreme exercise, heavy lifting or anything that will cause you to strain. 

DISCOMFORT: Take the pain medication as directed by your doctor before you have pain.  Generally, 400 to 800mg Ibuprofen (i.e. two to four over-the-counter tablets of Advil, Motrin, or generic ibuprofen) every six hours, is recommended for post-operative soreness. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to Ibuprofen, or have been advised not to use it, you may take up to 1000mg of Acetaminophen (i.e. three regular Tylenol tablets or two extra-strength Tylenol tablets) every six hours. It is important to follow the specific directions given to you by your doctor, and if more severe discomfort is anticipated, we will prescribe medicines to be used as directed.

INFECTION: If you have been given an antibiotic please continue taking it as directed without missing a dose, until completed.

SWELLING: It is normal for some swelling to occur after surgery. To minimize swelling, use ice packs over the site - 20 minutes on / 10 minutes off - as much as you can for the first 24 -36  hours.  It will be hard to place ice directly over the ridge but placing it on your cheeks and lips adjacent to the surgical site will help reduce the swelling which will accelerate the healing down the road and also reduce your post op discomfort. Ice is a very important part of the pain control protocol - it makes a huge difference in how much you swell and how quickly you heal. 

EATING AND DRINKING: Try not to eat until all anesthetic (numbness) has worn off.  You can eat right away starting with ice cream, soup, mash potatoes and other soft non-abrasive foods.  Try to avoid hard, spicy, acidic foods. You can drink as much as you want, but for the first week, never use a straw as this causes negative pressure in your mouth which can pull on the sutures and loosen things up. In a few days resume your normal diet on the non implant side and don't attempt to chew against the implant side for two months. This is extremely important especially if there is a healing cap peeking out of the tissue.  Pressure on the implant during the first few months after surgery is the number one cause of failure and implant loss during that time period.

ORAL HYGIENE: You may brush all your other teeth anytime after the surgery but you should avoid the site of the surgery for a week.  If you need to clean near the surgical site, please gently use a Q-tip soaked in Peridex.  After the sutures are out you may resume brushing near the implant but let comfort be your guide.  On the day after surgery, you may apply the Peridex directly to the site with a Q-tip or cotton roll and not rinse your whole mouth.  You should do this twice a day.  It should be the last thing you do in the morning before leaving for your day and last thing you do before you go to bed at night.  It is important that you do not rinse with anything else for at least 30 minutes after rinsing with the Peridex so it does not get diluted.  You should use the prescription rinse for at least two weeks.  The Peridex tastes bad and it will leave a light gray stain on your teeth.  This stain comes right off and removing it is something we do in a few minutes at any post op appointment after you are done using it.

SINUS LIFT INSTRUCTIONS: If we placed an implant near or into your lifted sinus, for two weeks, you should refrain from blowing your nose against pressure and you should sneeze without trying to stop the pressure.  During this two week period you should also not go under water when you swim.

USE OF REMOVEABLE DENTAL APPLIANCES: If you normally wear a removable appliance which replaces missing teeth, and it rests on the treated area, you should refrain from wearing it after surgery as any pressure on the surgical site could be detrimental to healing and cause discomfort. Our office will specify directions as each case is specific.

One last and very important concept you should understand about dental implant supported teeth is that the biggest cause of implant and implant prostheses failure after the first year is overloading of the implant system, not infection, but too much unbalanced force.  If your bite feels different, or you feel as though you are hitting on the implant, please call our office.

One week post op check and beyond:

We will bring you back in a week to check the healing and remove any loose sutures. We can evaluate where you are at and modify your brushing and eating as needed.

Going forward and assuming everything goes well with the implant placement, we will typically schedule you to come back to start the impression and restoration fabrication phase 2 to 3 months from the date of surgery.  Your doctor will give you more specific instructions based on your surgery and follow up.

If you have any questions please call our Binghamton office at 724-1389, or our Vestal office at 748-3349.