There are very few things that last a lifetime. Dental implant is one of them. But without care even the toughest of entities get affected. So taking care is of utmost importance for its longevity.
Dental implant surgery is a serious procedure . Time period between surgery till you get your tooth fixed is a very crucial time. Effects of surgery vary from person to person. Unnecessary pain and complications can be minimised if proper instructions are followed carefully .
- Don’t disturb the surgical area by touching with your tongue or finger. This might lead tooth reopening of the stiches and wound.
- To avoid swelling apply cold packs or ice bags wrapped in towel for 10- 15 min in every 2 hours for the 1st 24 hours.
- Take soft and cold diet. Hot beverages like tea coffee shouldn’t be taken for 24 hours after surgery.
- Don’t smoke or drink strictly for a week. This will delay healing.
- Since the area is numb immediately after surgery, don’t eat anything solid and avoid talking or sleeping for 3-4 hours.
- Increase fluid diet. Don’t use straw. Avoid carbonated drinks like cold drinks. Juices and milk are preferred instead.
- Don’t spit or rinse strictly for 24 hours.
- Rinse with warm saline water (1/2 teaspoon salt in 1 glass of water) in every 2-3 hours for the 1st week. After that do it 3-4 times a day.
- Brushing is compromised for a week initially so use mouthwash before sleeping to avoid food accumulation at the site of surgery.
- Probability of pain can not be ruled out. Specially when the effects of anaesthesia goes, pain may shoot up for once. So take proper medicines as prescribed by your doctor at regular intervals. As healing commences pain gradually subsides.
- Limit your physical activities for a couple of days till you are through the pain and swelling.
- There may be slight bleeding after surgery. Keep cotton pack dipped in ice cold water like it was kept by your dentist. Don’t spit to check for the bleeding. If you feel heavy or prolonged bleeding, get your stiches removed after a week.
- For 3-4 months till the implant completely fuses with bone avoid chewing from that side. Inadvertent pressure may affect bone healing.
Now when your implant is perfectly fused with the bone and tooth is successfully fixed, maintenance is also necessary. Because implant after all is an artificial entity which is not having its own nerve supply, rarely there is any pain or discomfort unless its too late. So as soon as it is detected sooner it is rectified Food lodgement around the bone will adversely affect the bone and will lead to bone loss eventually.
- Mouthwash: It is not an alternative to brushing. Mouthwash helps in removal of the thin layer which gets deposited around the teeth well as implant. Thus it prevents the colonisation of bacterium which leads to the bone loss. It should be done once or twice a week for the maintenance of good hygiene.
- Flossing: There are some areas where brush can’t reach like in between the teeth and below the gum line. Also these are the most sensitive areas for the bone loss. To prevent that regular flossing is helpful. Floss is a thread which goes in the area between the two teeth and helps in removal of food which otherwise is difficult to clean.
- Regular follow up with dentist: Implants are deeply placed in bone wherein they fuse with the adjacent bone. Healthy bone is the foundation of Implants. Though being an artificial entity they can’t get decayed but the bone and the gum around them are natural. So naturally they undergo changes of varying degrees depending on your hygiene and general health. And since implant itself is not having any nutrition, once infection starts it is quite possible that you may not feel anything by the time it has progressed a lot. To prevent this, you should get a check up done by your dentist every 6 months. Scaling is done to remove all the debris accumulated around the implant and adjacent teeth. Infection is an enemy of Implants. Time to time debridment and cleaning will prevent the spread of infection.
- Oral irrigators: These can also be called water flosses. This is a improved technique to clean the area in between the implant and adjacent tooth or along the gum line. It is having a tip which on pressing a button flushes water forcefully between those areas. There is a container which is attached to the tip through pipe.This removes all the food particles accumulated there. This can be done once a day before sleeping because maximum loss is caused by the food lodged between the teeth overnight. Once a week mouthwash can also be used instead of water.
- Care of dentures: If you have undergone implant supported denture then you need to clean you denture properly. Though it is tight and won’t move, still it is removable. Brush your denture properly and regularly. Also clean your tongue and gums with soft bristle brush. Don’t sleep with it night. Keep it dipped in water before you go to bed. Never use hot water for dipping your denture. You can put antibacterial tablets available in market for denture every 10-15 days. This will prevent bacterial infection and enhance cleansing.