Healing after dental implant surgery

The first 24 hours

The day of surgery is mostly about rest and protecting the site. A little bleeding, some swelling, and mild discomfort are all part of normal healing. Here's what helps.

Bite gently on the gauze we gave you for about 30 to 45 minutes, then replace it if needed. Light oozing is normal for the first day.
Leave the area alone. Don't touch it with your fingers or tongue, and don't pull back your lip to check on it.
No straws, spitting, rinsing, or smoking today. Suction and pressure can disturb the site and slow healing.
Take it easy. Skip exercise and heavy lifting today. Keep your head raised when you lie down.
Stick to cool, soft foods: yogurt, smoothies (no straw), applesauce, mashed potatoes, lukewarm soup. Avoid anything hot, spicy, crunchy, or carbonated. Skip alcohol.
Start pain medication before the numbness wears off. Follow the dosing on the label or on your prescription.

Managing swelling and discomfort

Ice the outside of your face for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off during the first day or two. Wrap the ice pack in a towel so it never sits directly on bare skin.
Swelling usually peaks on day two or three, then starts to go down. After the first 48 hours, switch from ice to a warm compress.
If you were prescribed antibiotics, finish the entire course even once you feel better.
Some bruising on the cheek or jaw can show up and is nothing to worry about.

Days two through seven

Begin gentle salt-water rinses the day after surgery: a half teaspoon of salt stirred into a cup of warm water, a few times daily, especially after meals. Let it fall out of your mouth rather than spitting forcefully.
Keep up your normal brushing and flossing everywhere except the surgical site, which you should leave alone for the first week.
Move slowly from soft foods to a normal diet as comfort allows. Chew away from the implant.
If you wear a denture over the implant area, keep it out as much as you can during the first week. We'll let you know when it's safe to wear it for longer stretches.
Return to normal activity as you feel up to it, usually within a day or two.

While the implant fuses with the bone

Under the gums, the bone is slowly growing around the implant. This takes a few months, and it's the step that makes an implant so stable. During that time, keep every follow-up visit at our Milford or Henniker office so we can check on healing, and avoid chewing hard foods directly on the site until we tell you it's ready.

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