After Dental Implant Surgery

After Dental Implant Surgery

Dental Implants are used in a wide variety of applications in Restorative/Reconstructive Dentistry. For this reason it is difficult to give precise written instructions applicable to your unique treatment. Fortunately, many recommendations are standard and can be shared with you via general guidelines, which are found on the “Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Surgery” sheet. Common sense will often dictate what you should do. If there any questions please call us at anytime.

While Dental Implant Surgery is very technically sophisticated, the post-operative burden tends to be less than what many patients expect. Unlike dental extractions, implant surgery does not leave temporary voids in the bone or large open wounds (like those after some dental extractions).

Day of Surgery

You have had one or more dental implants placed or uncovered today. They have been placed with or without grafting to optimize success. Several possibilities exist:

1. Implant(s) was placed and the gum tissue was closed over the implant(s) with no temporary restoration. This is the easiest situation to deal with after treatment since there is no open wound to care for. You have dissolvable sutures in the surgery area. In this case you merely have to follow the “Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Surgery” sheet.
2. Implant(s) was placed or uncovered today and an extension (abutment) was placed on the implant(s) that you can see when you look at the surgical site. In this case you merely have to follow the “Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Surgery” sheet, as well as the following as they apply to your situation:
   • If you had a removable temporary replacement (flipper or removable partial or complete denture) placed at the time of surgery, please refer to the "Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Appliances or Crowns Placed at the Time of Surgery" sheet.
   • If you had a temporary restoration placed at the time of surgery that is not removable by you, please be careful with this restoration in the same way that you would with a temporary crown. Try not to disturb the restoration by eating crispy, hard or sticky foods.

Post-Operative Healing Expectations

Regarding discomfort immediately following surgery, the good news is that implant therapy is generally much less painful than patients expect. Some discomfort can obviously be anticipated, but it should be very manageable with the prescriptions you will receive from your doctor.

After about 4-7 days, the symptoms related to your surgery should be minimal. There may still be a minor amount of gum tissue sensitivity, but even that should be getting better. The best indication that an implant is healthy and healing normally is that it is ultimately symptom free. For this reason if you experience any symptoms in the area of the implant after the initial post-operative period, please call our office.