Dental Implant/Bone Graft

After Your Surgery

Post-Operative Instructions

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

Please call the office at (843) 849-5188 at any time if you need assistance after your surgery. Our staff and doctor are on call 24/7, and the office voicemail greeting will provide you with the on call information.

After surgery, you should try not to disturb the surgical site(s). Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the site(s) on the day of surgery. You may have a temporary healing abutment that can be felt above the gums at the surgical site: do not disturb it.

Sedated Patients

Patients who have received IV sedation should return home from the office upon discharge and lie down with the head elevated until the effects of the anesthesia have worn off.

Do not use tools, appliances, or equipment that could be dangerous. DO NOT DRIVE.

Walk slowly and take your time. Sudden changes in position can cause nausea.

Do not make any legal decisions or agreements—no signing contracts or other legally-binding documents.

Do not drink any alcoholic beverages. This can thin your blood and increase post-operative bleeding.

It is important to stay hydrated following surgery.

Bleeding

A small amount of bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal and expected for the first 24 hours after surgery. You can control excessive bleeding by placing a gauze pad directly on the wound and biting down with light pressure for 30 minutes. Do not drink through a straw for the first week after surgery or do any hard spitting.

Swelling

Swelling is normal after surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice pack to the cheek next to the surgical site. In the first 36 hours after surgery, apply the ice continuously for 20 minutes on, and then 20 minutes off.

Diet

Avoid chewing on the implant site after surgery. Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid hot liquids or foods. Soft foods and liquids should be consumed on the day of surgery. During the healing/integration phase of the implants, hard and crunchy foods should be avoided.

Pain

Take your medications as prescribed by the doctor. The local anesthetic administered during your surgery normally has a duration of about 2–8 hours. We advise you to take a planned medication within 2 hours of your surgery (before the numbness wears off). Taking the planned medication with food or water will lessen the side effects of nausea or stomach aggravation. If you were prescribed an antibiotic and are currently taking oral contraceptives, you should use an alternate method of birth control.

Oral Hygiene

It is important to keep your implant site clean; use an extra soft-bristled toothbrush around the implant site. Please refrain from using an electric toothbrush on your implant/bone graft site. If anything comes loose, please contact the office immediately.

Good oral hygiene is essential to healing. No rinsing the day of surgery. The following evening, start using the Peridex™ rinse twice daily. Be sure to rinse for 30 seconds, and then spit it out. Nothing to eat or drink for 30 minutes after using this rinse, giving it the time it needs to work.

Brush your teeth and the healing abutment(s) as usual, but be gentle initially with brushing the surgical areas. Gentle, warm salt water rinses (½ teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water) should be done at least 3 times a day as well (especially after meals) in addition to the Peridex.

Activity

Keep physical activity to a minimum immediately following surgery. No driving for 24 hours. If you are considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this occurs, you should stop exercising. Keep in mind that during recovery you are probably not getting your regular food intake. This may weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise.

Wearing Your Prosthesis

Wearing your prosthesis after surgery may be necessary from an aesthetic point of view. Try to limit the amount of time you are wearing your temporary; it will enhance your healing. Avoid placing a lot of pressure on your temporary as its purpose is for aesthetics, not functionality. Be sure you are taking it out and cleaning it properly.

Bone Graft

During implant placement, some bone grafting material may have been added to enhance the stability of your dental implant. You may feel some grainy/sandy material in your mouth over the next few days. The surgical site may appear white in color—this is completely normal. Do not be alarmed: the bone graft material is not being expelled.