Dental implants will improve your ability to chew, speak, and restore your smile in the long term without having to worry about shifting teeth or bone loss. However, some patients might be worried about daunting aftercare instructions or a long recovery process.
The good news is the recovery process is fairly straightforward. Read on in this blog from Eagle Mountain Dentistry to learn more about the implant healing process and what you can and can’t do during your recovery.
The best foods to eat during your recovery from implant surgery are soft foods that are nutrient-dense. While you will face diet limitations in the first 1 to 2 weeks of your recovery, it’s important to stay hydrated, eat enough calories, and get in enough nutrients like protein, iron, B12, and vitamin C to aid in the healing process.
For at least the first week, you can only eat soft foods. In the first 1 to 2 days, you should stick to mostly liquid and non-solid foods like soup broths, protein shakes (no straw), applesauce, pudding, or mashed potatoes.
After the first couple of days, you can eat slightly chewier but still soft foods such as pasta, bread, sweet potatoes, soft fruit and vegetables, eggs, and oatmeal. After the first week, you should be able to start to introduce harder foods, as approved by your dentist.
In the first 24 hours, you should avoid hot foods and beverages, sucking through a straw, and consuming any alcohol. These things can all dislodge the blood clot and inhibit healing. For at least one week, you should avoid hard, sticky, crunchy foods entirely.
It is also beneficial to limit your consumption of spicy, acidic, and sugary foods and drinks which can cause irritation and disrupt healing.
Foods such as chips, candy, popcorn, nuts, seeds, and caramel should be avoided because they are too difficult to chew and will negatively affect the implant site as it is trying to heal. Tougher meats may slowly be incorporated toward the end of your healing but not during the first week.
Control swelling by keeping your head elevated and applying a cold compress to the area for about 15 minutes on and off. Mild pain or tenderness at the implant site is normal during the first few days and can be relieved with anti-inflammatory pain medication.
Bleeding should not continue past the first 72 hours. You should control bleeding by regularly changing your damp gauze or switching to a wet caffeinated tea bag which constricts the blood vessels and aids in blood clot formation.
Carefully observe your symptoms as you heal. The pain, swelling, and bleeding should get better each day, not get worse. If any of these symptoms are severe or worsening, contact Dr. Renas right away, as this is a possible sign of peri-implantitis which is a dental emergency.
If you’re wondering if dental implants are right for you, give us a call at Eagle Mountain Dentistry to schedule a consultation with Dr. Steven Renas. Even if you aren’t considered a good candidate, you may be eligible for bone grafting which can create the necessary support to anchor implants.
We want our new patients not using insurance to start off with the best care available. Schedule an appointment today and get a cleaning, exam, X-Rays, and a free consult or second opinion for only $99.
Using insurance? You can benefit too! We are offering a complimentary teeth whitening treatment for all new patients using insurance.
*$300 value.
*New patients only. Not valid in cases of periodontal disease. Not valid for use with insurance.