Gaps in your smile can have a big impact on your confidence as well as your oral health, which is why hitting the milestone of scheduling dental implant surgery can be an exciting moment for a lot of people. This means that you’re well on your way to having a complete and functional grin. To have a smooth sailing healing journey after your surgery and secure a set of pearly whites that lasts for decades to come, it’s important to follow your oral surgeon’s post-op directions closely. Here are four things you should avoid doing after your procedure for the best results.
Smoking & Using Tobacco Products
Osseointegration, which is the process of your titanium dental implant posts fusing with your jawbone for several months following your surgery, can be impacted by using tobacco products and smoking. This is because tobacco has been shown to affect the immune system and delay healing by reducing blood flow to your gums. When this happens, it could prevent your implants from integrating with your mouth, leading to implant failure.
Intensely Exercising
After surgery, you’ll likely need a few days to rest, recover, and allow your body to process the procedure it just went through. When you jump into your regular exercise routine too soon, it could increase the blood flow in your mouth and lead to bleeding. By avoiding strenuous activity for the time recommended by your oral surgeon in Alexandria, you can make a smoother recovery.
Eating Hard or Hot Foods
Just like after any oral surgery, it’s important to maintain a soft diet and avoid excessively hot or spicy foods that could irritate your gums or impede on the healing process after your dental implant placement. In addition, foods that are hard, like pretzels and chips, could disrupt the blood clots forming around the implants, so you’ll want to avoid those as well.
Drinking from a Straw
Like eating hard foods, you’ll want to avoid drinking from a straw while you’re healing after your surgery because the suction this action creates could dislodge the blood clot and prolong the healing process. When this happens, you could be at a higher risk of developing pain, dry socket, or an infection. It’s also a good idea to avoid carbonated beverages that could affect your gums around the surgery site.
By following these tips, along with the detailed post-op instructions provided to you by your oral surgeon, you can make a speedy recovery and continue on your journey towards having a complete, beautiful, and function grin.
About the Practice
At Northern Virginia Oral, Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery, we’re proud to have four passionate, skilled, and knowledgeable board-certified oral surgeons guide our team. With years of experience under their belts, we’re able to offer the latest procedures using cutting-edge technology for the best possible results, like guided dental implant surgery. For questions or to schedule a consultation, visit our website or call 571-777-6501.