Caring for Dental Implants
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| • | Healing: Following surgery, we will first observe soft tissue healing, and then hard tissue healing. Your soft gum tissue will heal rather quickly, in a matter of days. While your soft tissue is healing, you will want to avoid drinking through straws, be aware of excessive bleeding, and be cautious of the signs of infection. Hard tissue, or bone, healing will take much longer, possibly months. As the bone heals, it will grow up and around the threads of the dental implant fusing the two firmly together. This natural healing process is known as osseointegration. Bone healing is what will provide the firm stability to the implant. |
| • | Eating: Chewing will need to begin slowly. We may advise you to be on a soft food diet for many weeks while the implant stabilizes in your mouth. We can offer more specific guidance to you based on where and how many implants are being placed. Once the implant is firm, and the prosthetic is placed, you should be able to resume biting and chewing your regular diet. |
| • | Brushing and Flossing: Once the soft tissue has healed, you can brush and floss around your implant and prosthetic just as you would your natural teeth. Using a soft bristled brush, possibly with an electric handle, brush all sides of the prosthetic and along the gumline to remove plaque and debris. After brushing, use floss, or a water agitator, to clean between the prosthetic and neighboring teeth. Your tissue has been rebuilt, but it is still subject to infection, and we want to protect your gum and bone tissue. |
| • | Water, Saliva, and Rinse: Regularly drinking water helps remove food debris and other loose particles from your mouth. Drinking water is especially important to patients who have decreased saliva production. Finally, rinsing after brushing and flossing helps remove remaining particles and may even kill bacteria depending on the rinse you are using. |
Phone(920) 278-7678 HoursGreen Bay: Monday - Thursday: 8:00AM - 5:00PM Niagara: Wednesday - Friday: 7:30AM - 3:30PM |