Instructions after dental implant surgery

What should you do in the first 24 hours after implant surgery?

In the first 24 hours, protect the blood clot forming over the implant and give your body a quiet day to start healing. Plan to rest at home, and if your treatment involved general anesthesia or sedating medication, have a responsible adult with you; our page on preparing for general anesthesia covers the day itself.

1. Bite gently but firmly on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes, replacing it if it becomes soaked.
2. Rest with your head raised on two pillows, and skip exercise and heavy lifting.
3. Don’t rinse, spit forcefully or drink through a straw; suction can dislodge the clot.
4. Keep your tongue and fingers away from the surgical site.
5. Take your first dose of pain reliever before the numbness wears off.
6. Don’t smoke, vape or drink alcohol.

How do you manage bleeding, swelling and discomfort?

Some oozing, swelling and soreness are a normal part of healing after an implant is placed. Pink-tinged saliva can last a day or two, swelling usually peaks on the second or third day, and mild bruising on the cheek can appear and fade over a week.

1. For bleeding, fold a fresh gauze pad, place it over the site and bite with steady pressure for 30 minutes. A moistened black tea bag also works.
2. For swelling, hold an ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth against the cheek, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, for the first 36 to 48 hours.
3. After 48 hours, switch to gentle warmth if the area is stiff.
4. Take pain relievers exactly as directed, and never exceed the dose on the label.
5. If antibiotics were prescribed, finish the full course even when you feel fine.

What can you eat after dental implant surgery?

Eat soft, cool or lukewarm foods for the first several days, and chew on the opposite side of your mouth from the implant. Staying well fed and well hydrated helps you heal, so don’t skip meals because chewing feels awkward.

1. Day one: yogurt, smoothies eaten with a spoon, applesauce, pudding, broth that has cooled.
2. Days two to seven: scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soft pasta, cooked fish, oatmeal.
3. Avoid hot drinks and soups on the first day.
4. Avoid crunchy, hard and sticky foods, such as chips, nuts, popcorn and caramel, until we say the site is ready.
5. Return to your usual foods gradually, still chewing away from the implant until your crown is placed.

How do you keep the implant site clean while it heals?

Keep the rest of your mouth clean as usual and treat the implant site gently, because bacteria are the biggest threat to an implant’s healing. A clean mouth heals faster and more predictably. You may see a small metal healing cap above the gum; that’s normal and it should be kept clean too.

1. Starting the day after surgery, rinse gently with warm salt water (half a teaspoon in a cup of water) after meals and at bedtime. Let it fall from your mouth rather than spitting.
2. Use any prescribed rinse exactly as directed.
3. Brush and floss your other teeth normally from the first night.
4. Brush near the implant with a soft brush only when we tell you it’s time, and avoid the stitches.
5. Wear a denture, partial, flipper or night guard over the area only as we direct, since pressure can disturb healing.
6. Don’t smoke while the implant heals; smoking slows healing and raises the risk that the implant won’t bond with the bone.

When should you call Stone Falls Dental after implant surgery?

Call our office at (618) 624-2800 if anything seems to be getting worse instead of better, or if something on this list happens. It’s always better to call and be told it’s normal than to wait on a problem. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911.

1. Bleeding that still fills the gauze after several hours of firm pressure
2. Swelling or pain that increases after the third day
3. A fever, chills or a bad taste with pus around the site
4. Numbness in the lip, chin or tongue that lasts past the day of surgery
5. A healing cap that comes off, or an implant that feels loose
6. A rash, itching or other sign of a reaction to a medication

What happens in the months after implant surgery?

Over the next few months the bone grows tightly around the implant, a process called osseointegration, and that bond is what lets it hold a tooth like a natural root. You’ll come back so we can check the site and remove stitches if they don’t dissolve, then again before the final restoration is made.

Once the implant has fully healed, it can support a crown, a bridge or a denture. Our page on implant dentistry at Stone Falls Dental explains those options, and the smile gallery shows implant-supported cases from this practice.