A lovely smile accentuates your facial features, and your teeth play an essential role in ensuring that your smile remains impressive.
If you have a tooth problem that affects your self-esteem, then a dental implant is an excellent idea.
A dental implant is like any other surgery and will require aftercare. Besides, proper oral hygiene is paramount and will help you avoid complications that may arise.
And there are numerous ways to care for your teeth after an implant.
Here are ideas to guide you:
1. Be gentle around the implant
Having an implant makes many people anxious and uncomfortable. If you suffer from dental anxiety, you can still have your implant without fear. Sleep dentistry offers different types of sedation, enabling you to get the best treatment without feeling anxious.
After the implant, avoid disturbing the area around your implant during the initial days after the procedure.
During this early stage of healing, the gum tissues around the implant are sore and inflamed. They are also trying to attach to the implant to make it steady and keep infections at bay.
Avoid spitting, touching the area, or sucking a straw during this period. Bleeding may also occur on the first day after surgery, if this happens, use gauze pads to help in controlling the bleeding and change the pads often.
You will also experience swelling and discomfort, which you can relieve with ice packs. Wrap them in a towel and apply them on your cheek during the first 36 hours after the surgery.
2. Hydrate!
Drinking enough water will keep you hydrated and also help you heal faster. A few days before and after the procedure, confine your diet to soft foods and avoid hot food and drinks.
You’ll receive antibiotics and other pain medicines before leaving the hospital, be sure to take these as directed. If you wish to acquire other over the counter painkillers, Tylenol or ibuprofen are okay.
3. Shun strenuous physical activity
During the initial stages of healing, try to avoid engaging in vigorous physical activity, and this will give you ample time to heal.
If you will be using your implants to retain a denture, wait for a few days before snapping the denture in place.
4. Practice oral hygiene
Your oral hygiene is paramount during this time. Brushing and flossing will keep the gum tissue around the implants healthy.
Although most patients think that an implant doesn’t require a lot of care, you can develop infections that can make your implant fall out.
Also, use a soft brush and a denture brush to clean the underside of the denture. Use a special mouth rinse or salty water to rinse your mouth, and this will prevent swelling.
It’s vital to have your implant cleaned by a professional periodically. And this will keep away bacteria that may cause infections.
5. Avoid smoking
Smoking is one of the significant threats to dental implants. It can damage your teeth and also weaken your gums.
Weak gums will make you susceptible to infections and cause your implant to fail. If you leave the gum infection untreated, it will affect the bone structure that supports your teeth.
The infection stems typically from bacteria in the plaque that may form between your teeth.
If you don’t brush thoroughly and the plaque hardens and forms tartar, which may encourage disease, causing organisms to thrive.
The bottom line
Dental implants are successful medical procedures despite the few cleaning challenges that they may present.
How you care for your implants determines how the recovery process will be. Oral hygiene is a crucial aspect of caring for implants. It impacts the healing process, among other things like drinking enough water and avoiding strenuous activities.
About The Author:
James North is a young entrepreneur, who has accomplished a great feat in the world of marketing and advertising. He is the husband of an accomplished writer and the father of two young adults. James has been contributing to a digital platform for quite some time now. He loves to share his innovative ideas and thoughts so that readers could be benefited. He loves playing cricket in his leisure time.
