Are you scheduled for dental implant surgery? If you are, now's the time to start preparing for the procedure. Dental implants require an investment in time and money. The last thing you want is for your dental implants to fail. If your implants fail, you'll need to go through the procedure all over again. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent dental implant failure. Here are four of those steps.
Take Care During Recovery
Once you've had your dental implant surgery, you'll need to allow a few days for recovery. Giving your dental implants enough time to heal properly is one way to avoid implant failure. In fact, it's one of the most important steps you can take. In addition to getting the rest you need, watch what you eat, and keep your mouth hydrated. First, stick to a soft food diet for several days. Sticky or hard foods can loosen your dental implants, especially while you're healing. Second, drink plenty of water. That way, your mouth is able to produce enough saliva to promote good healing. Finally, rinse your mouth with salt water several times a day. Salt water helps to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria.
Improve Your Dental Hygiene
If you want to avoid dental implant failure, improve your dental hygiene. You may think you have a good dental hygiene routine, but that might not be the case. You might also think that you can reduce the amount of time you spend on dental hygiene once you have implants. But, that's also not the case. To avoid dental implant failure, you need to brush your teeth at least twice a day, and floss your teeth at least three times a day. Proper dental hygiene will help to reduce your risk of implant failure. Once you have your implants, you'll need to use a water flossing device. Ordinary floss can get stuck on your implants.
Don't Skip Post-Op Appointment
After your implant surgery, your dentist will schedule a post-op appointment. To reduce your risk of implant failure, be sure to attend and don't reschedule. During your post-op appointment, your dentist will inspect the implants for signs of failure. They'll also make sure that you're healing properly. Failing to attend your post-op appointment could put you at risk for implant failure.
Watch for Signs of Infection
While you're healing from the implant procedure, you'll need to watch for signs of infection. Surgical infections can lead to implant failure, especially if the infection isn't treated properly. Some signs to watch for include increased pain and inflammation, and a foul-smelling discharge from around the gum line. If you notice any of those symptoms, don't hesitate to call your dentist.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.