Dental implant — Kritikos Dental Clinic

Today we placed an implant (and/or a bone graft). The first 2–3 days are the most important for healing.

What to do

Apply an ice pack to the cheek, in 15-minute intervals, on the first day — it helps a lot with swelling.
Start your painkiller before the numbness wears off completely (dosage below) and, if you were given antibiotics, complete the course.
On the day of surgery, do not rinse your mouth at all.
From the next day, use chlorhexidine 0.12% twice a day for about a week: after brushing, hold it in your mouth for ~30 seconds and spit it out — do not rinse with water afterwards, so it stays active.
Eat soft and cool foods, and sleep with your head slightly raised on the first night.

On the first day, avoid vigorous rinsing, forceful spitting and drinking through a straw.
Do not smoke — smoking is the single biggest cause of implant failure. Avoid it for as long as possible.
Do not touch or pull at the site or the sutures with your tongue, fingers or toothbrush.
Avoid alcohol, spicy or hard foods and strenuous activity for the first few days.
If you had a bone graft, you may feel small granules in your mouth — do not try to remove them.

A little bleeding or “pink” saliva in the first hours is normal. Swelling usually peaks on the 2nd–3rd day and then subsides; slight bruising of the cheek is normal.
For pain: paracetamol (e.g. Depon) 1000 mg, up to four times a day.
If that is not enough, add ibuprofen (Algofren) 600 mg every 8 hours. Combining the two is safe — try to space them out in time as much as you can.
Do not combine ibuprofen with other anti-inflammatories (e.g. Mesulid, Niflamol).
Carry on brushing your other teeth, leaving the surgical area alone. Sutures (if not self-dissolving) are removed at the appointment we arranged.

Do not eat or drink anything hot while you are still numb, so you don’t injure your lip, cheek or tongue.