English
Post-Surgical Guidelines For Implant Patients (Within 2 Weeks After Implant Placement)
• Take care to only have cold drinks and do not eat until the local anaesthetic has worn off. Avoid hot drinks or hot food for the first day and do not vigorously ‘swill’ liquid over the area. Try not to disturb the area with your tongue or fingers. Avoid undertake strenuous exercise for the first 48 hours (running / gym).
• Some swelling is normal and is usually worse in the mornings after lying flat all night. This will start to reduce after 48 hours. There may be some bruising on the skin which will also clear after a few days.
• Swelling can be reduced with ice packs (or a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a towel. Hold on the cheek area for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time with 20 minutes break before applying again. After 24 hours gentle heat is more beneficial. Sleeping on 2-3 pillows may also help.
• Pain should not be a problem. Although you will be sore for a few days this can usually be easily managed with simple analgesics (pain killers) which you should take regularly for 2 days at the normal maximum stated dose. Take your first dose before the local anaesthetic has worn off. If pain seems to get worse after the first couple of days, rather than getting better, you should contact the center.
• Some bleeding following surgery is completely normal. If this persists apply pressure with a dampened gauze or clean handkerchief for 30 minutes.
• Take your prescribed medications (antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory medications and chlorhexidine rinse) as directed by doctors.
• If you experience increasing pain or swelling after 2-3 days you should contact us for a review.
• Do not lift or pull on the lip or cheek to look at the suture(s)
• Cleaning – Successful implant surgery depends on keeping the mouth as clean as possible.
• Please start to use the chlorhexidine mouthwash that you will be given, on the evening of surgery and continue for 1 week. You should hold half a cap-full over the surgical site for 1 minute, twice a day for 7 days. This will keep the healing site clean even if you are not able to clean it with a toothbrush.
• Do not brush or floss near the surgical site for 2 days, then brush and floss very lightly for 4 days before returning to regular brushing and flossing routine. Use an extra-soft toothbrush twice daily to clean pre-existing teeth or other implants, being careful to avoid the surgical incision area. If you use an ultrasonic or electric toothbrush, wait one to two weeks, and they must not be used on the implant.
• Try to keep food away from the surgical area for as long as possible. Rinse following eating to keep the area as clean as possible.
• For placement of multiple implants:
• Stay on a liquid diet for the first 2 days.
• Soft foods should be consumed for the next 2 weeks (until the mucosal incision has closed completely).
• Do not smoke or drink alcohols.
• Do not drink using straws.
• For immediate loading, avoid mastication on the implant crown for 6 to 8 weeks.
• You are advised not to smoke until the wound has healed as this severely limits healing in the mouth.
• If you have a denture that covers the surgical area please wear it as little as possible for the first day to protect the underlying implants or graft. If the denture doesn’t seem to fit properly after your surgery then you must come back to have it adjusted. A badly-fitting denture can damage a healing implant.
• Stiches are usually removed after 2 to 3 weeks. If you are uncomfortable with stiches, you can contact us to have them removed after at least 1 week.
Stiches being removed indicates successful implant placement. You should follow ‘Implant Homecare Guidelines’ afterwards.
Implant Homecare Guidelines
After the wound is healed and stitches have been removed, your implant placement procedure has been completed. However, in order for the implant(s) to integrate well with the jawbone (and to be eligible for our Warranty Policy), you need to follow the instructions and guidelines below:
Guidelines for implant home care
• Brush twice daily with low-abrasive dentifrice.
• Floss with dental tape (mesial/distal and facial/lingual) in shoe shine motion or use a water flosser one to two times daily.
• If recommended, use interdental brush, rubber tip, soft picks, and/or water irrigation unit one to two times daily.
• If inflammation present use non- alcohol anti-microbial rinse and/or add to water irrigation unit in 1:10 dilution.
• Notify your dentist immediately about any signs of pain, swelling or bleeding.
• Do not grind your teeth. Use night mouth guard if you have teeth grinding.
• Do not smoke.
• Do not drink alcohols within 8 weeks after implant placement.
• Do not use vibrating electric toothbrush on your implant.
• Re-examination with X-Rays and dental cleaning at our office at least one every 6 months – or routine check-ups and cleaning in your home country. Notify your regular dental hygienist about your dental implant(s).
Guidelines for eating and drinking
Dental implants are very strong. Therefore, you can eat almost everyday foods as long as you do not do anything extreme.
• Don’t eat or chew food that is too hard or hot.
• Don’t drink very hot liquids. (Dental implants are made of metal which retains heat more readily than soft human tissue. If you drink very hot liquids, the implant tooth may heat up from the liquid and stay hot long enough to burn a thin layer of cells around the implant)
• Don’t drink or eat too hot and cold liquids/food together. (The crown on your dental implant is covered with porcelain, which expands with heat and contracts with cold. If you drink something very cold and then drink something very hot, the porcelain may crack and you will have a chip break from your crown)
