If you have lost a tooth due to an injury or disease, one of the best solutions your dentist may recommend is dental implant surgery. This procedure involves cutting your gums to reach the jawbone and drilling a hole into the bone to place the implant metal post. This process may seem scary or daunting, especially if it’s your first time.
Some patients also worry about what the recovery time and post-operative care will be like. If you’re also wondering about such things, here’s what you can expect after your surgery.
First 24 Hours After Your Implant Surgery
Since you may still be under the influence of anesthesia, you may feel a little drowsy or groggy right after the surgery. That said, you shouldn’t drive home yourself, ask a friend or relative to help you with this.
When the local anesthesia begins to wear off, you’ll start to feel some pain and discomfort. You may also experience some light bleeding, swelling, and seeping. But there’s no need to worry about these side effects, as they’re perfectly normal. Your dentist will also prescribe you with medicines to alleviate the pain you’re feeling. They’ll also give you instructions on how you can take care of yourself in the first 24 hours.
First Few Days After Your Surgery
One to three days after your dental implant surgery, you may notice some swelling and bruising around your face and eyes. These are perfectly normal and they can be alleviated with a cold compress or carefully applied ice pack.
Three to seven days after your surgery, the facial swelling you experienced should have disappeared. You may even find that you can now continue doing your daily routines. However, experts recommend that you avoid any strenuous exercise or stooping and bending.
You should notice the most improvement after 7 to 14 days. You can now start to slowly re-introduce different kinds of foods to your diet. But you should still avoid those that are hard, chewy, and crunchy, like apples, steaks, and raw vegetables. You should also avoid doing heavy cardio-vascular activities.
In the next few days, your implants should be healing well, or have completely healed. But before going back to leading a normal life, you should visit your dentist to make sure everything is okay.
Need a dental implant? Contact Pillar Dental now!
If you’re looking for a dental implant specialist in Sioux Falls, SD, your search ends at Pillar Dental. Get in touch with us now for questions, clarifications, or to set up an appointment.