Recently had oral implants fitted? A short guide to dental implant aftercare

So, you have visited our dental surgery and have been given the green light to go ahead with the fitting of oral implants.

This is going to be an exciting time in your life; you will have your smile restored and the functionality of your mouth will return, allowing you to show your beautiful smile and widen your range of available foods that you can eat.

But once you have had the implant fitted, there are some steps you can take at home to ensure that they will fuse with your jaw and last a long time.

At High Dental Implants Melbourne, our team has fitted thousands of oral implants and can advise you on aftercare to keep your implants, gums and natural teeth healthy and functional. Depending on the implant type you are having fitted and your individual requirements, we can create a personalised care plan for you, to ensure that the healing process is uneventful and you can have your new teeth fitted on schedule. Perfect!

But just to save time, our team at High Dental Implants Melbourne has created the following guide to aid the post-fitting of oral implants.

What to avoid

Firstly, once your implants have been fitted, the gum will be sore and there will be stitches.

And while it is far from commonplace for our team at High Dental Implants Melbourne to advise against brushing, you must refrain from brushing the implant site until we say it is okay to do so.

Brushing can cause the gums to swell more and can cause the stitches to loosen; to keep the site clean, rinse with salt water up to 4 times a day.

Hygiene tips

As we stated before, in order to clean the implant site, saltwater is your best option for the first week following the procedure.

However, you must keep the rest of your mouth clean too, to avoid plaque accumulation; if this is difficult as you have natural teeth near the implant, use interdental brushes and gently clean your teeth. Avoid using mouthwash, as this can cause discomfort and swelling.

Check-ups

Once you have had your implants fitted, you will need to see our team regularly for the next 3-6 months.

This is to ensure that the site itself is healing and that the implant is fusing. We urge you to attend these check-ups, as they are also a window for our team to spot any potential issues and to rectify them before they get too serious.

If you have any concerns in between these appointments, however, feel free to contact us for advice or additional visits.

Signs of infection

How do you know if your implant is infected?

It will be more uncomfortable and usually, there will be a significant swelling and foul taste/odour. There may also be a yellow discharge or pus. You may feel feverish, dizzy and may begin experiencing nausea and or vomiting.

In any case, the moment you have concerns that there may be an infection forming, contact our team for an emergency appointment.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.