Teeth in a Day Before and After Surgery Instructions

At Town Center Dental of LaGrange, we want patients to have the most comfortable and rewarding experience in same day dental implants. This includes your treatment time at our office as well as your recovery at home. Dr. Paes is a highly skilled implant dentist who values the importance of educating patients on how to accelerate their healing, minimize discomfort and prolong their restorative results.

While the Teeth in a Day procedure is remarkably fast and convenient for our patients, we want to make sure they understand what to expect on the day of surgery and feel confident in how to care for their new smile in the subsequent days at home.

On The Day Of Surgery

• For 24 hours after dental implants surgery, do not rinse or spit forcibly. This helps to foster the initial healing at the surgical site.
• Avoid smoking at least 2 weeks after surgery. Smoking has been known to irritate the oral tissues, cause infection and constrict blood flow needed for optimal healing.
• Use gauze as directed to control bleeding. Some minor oozing and bleeding is normal after surgery. You may even experience discharge from the nose for the first several days. To control mild bleeding when you get home from surgery, keep the gauze dressing in your mouth for approximately one hour after leaving Town Center Dental. If you are concerned about the amount of bleeding or if your bleeding is excessive, please call our office immediately.
• Drink only cool or room temperature liquids and do not use a straw. Avoid hot or spicy foods and drinks for at least two days. Adhere to a soft foods diet until you are otherwise instructed by Dr. Paes.
• Use pain medication as needed and prescribed. It is common to feel mild to moderate discomfort on the day of your surgery. To minimize pain, it is recommended that you take pain medication (prescribed or over-the-counter) before the local anesthetic wears off, which is typically within the first 6 to 12 hours post surgery.
• Take oral antibiotics as directed by Dr. Paes. Be sure to keep taking them until they are finished.
• To reduce swelling in the first 2 days after your surgery, apply ice packs. Make sure the ice is not directly placed on the skin. After 48 hours, heat can be used to control swelling. Some temporary bruising and discoloration may occur.

On The Days Following Surgery

• You will be given a prescribed mouth rinse to use up to three times per day. Make sure you rinse gently. In addition, you may rinse with warm salt water after meals and snacking throughout the day.
• Protect your sutures by not touching the surgical site with your fingers, toothbrush or tongue. Resist the urge to pull your lips to examine the area in the mirror, as this may also delay or inhibit healing around the sutures.
• Brush carefully. You may resume brushing your natural teeth as soon as one day after surgery. However, you should only use a soft brush and water to brush your new bridge. The surrounding gums of your new bridge should be avoided.
• Expect sutures to loosen and fall out within 1-2 weeks.
• If you have a temporary traditional denture, do not use your adhesive cream on the areas that touch your sutures.

Special Precautions

• Avoid aggressive or vigorous rinsing. Gentle swishing is best.
• Nasal discharge or minor bleeding from your nose is normal, but very temporary.
• For the first 2-3 weeks following surgery, avoid blowing your nose forcibly or sneezing with your mouth closed. This will create undesirable pressure in your mouth and nose that may disrupt implant healing.
• Be prepared to eat to a soft foods diet for up to four months. This is the timeframe that it typically takes for the implant to properly heal and fuse to the underlying bone.
• An adjustment period is expected after you receive your new bridge, and may include initial challenges with your speech or pronunciation.
• Don't panic if you experience prolonged numbness, from 3 days to 3 weeks. This is often a result of swelling that has put pressure on a nearby nerve in the lower lip or chin.

Have more questions about Teeth in a Day aftercare? We want to address them. In fact, we believe that we can greatly reduce patient anxiety when it comes to dental implants by keeping them fully informed on what to expect before and after surgery. At Town Center Dental, we encourage patients to call if they have any concerns about their dental implants recovery. Contact us today for more information or to sschedule an appointment.