After you have gone home from Costa Rica or Cancun, you will be able to take time and recover from your surgery. However, there are a few precautions that you can take after your dental implants are done to make sure that your new smile always looks as you’d like. These tips will help you enjoy a healthy smile and hopefully make your implants last for the rest of your life.

Take Time To Recover

Definitely take some time off work to recover after your implants. At minimum, you should plan for two days off work. You may need longer. Not taking the time off from work and activities around the house can potentially delay the healing process.

Avoid Mouthwash For a Few Days After Your Implants

In the days after you get your dental implants, you’ll want to avoid sensitive products, like mouthwash. Mouthwash can irritate the surgical site. If you need to rinse, you might want to try a solution of salt water a few times per day, especially after meals.

Take Care When You Floss

You can start flossing regularly again once your surgical site has completely healed. This typically is within 2 weeks of your dental implants. When you start flossing once again, you’ll want to take care when you get near your gum line. When you floss your regular teeth, if you go too far, your periodontal ligament connects with your nerves, causing pain. Dental implants connect with a peri-implant seal. If you floss an implant too aggressively, you might break the seal and bacteria can enter your jawbone.

Avoid Certain Types of Foods

Certain types of foods to avoid seem like common sense, but you might have to avoid some foods that you’d like. After you get your implants done, you’ll want to avoid the following foods:

Hard foods and things like ice, nuts, hard candy, and anything that could exert undue pressure on your implants.
Foods like popcorn and chips.
Foods like jerky, steaks, vegetables, and anything that is tough or chewy.
Sticky foods, like gum, caramel, and taffy can stick to the surgical site and cause irritation.

There are some options for food that you can eat right after your surgery. These include:

Smoothies, which are nutritious and often have the right vitamins and minerals that are found in your regular diet.
Applesauce is a liquid form of food that has plenty of carbohydrates to give you energy.
Anything that is soft or liquid, but is important to avoid hot foods, such as soups.

Putting Your Smoking On Hold

Smoking is not a sole factor for dental implant failure, but it can be a huge contributor. It is best to stop smoking altogether. Smoking can be extremely damaging to your implants. The lack of oxygen from smoking will make it so that your jawbone cannot heal properly. Also, the fusion of your implants to the jawbone might not happen if you don’t cease from smoking. Quitting smoking altogether will help you stay healthy and have a smile that you love.

Taking Care Of Your Implants the Right Way Immediately After Your Surgery

When you are at our Costa Rica or Cancun clinics, you will get expert advice from our staff on how to take care of your implants. These might include:

Biting on any sponge or gauze material in your mouth to stop the bleeding.
Rest in comfort in your discounted lodgings and keep your head elevated so that you can start to heal.
Use a cold compress or ice pack for any pain.
Only consume soft food or beverages for the first 24 to 48 hours after your surgery.
Do not rinse your mouth.

Take Any Medications That Are Prescribed

Your cosmetic dentist in Cancun or Costa Rica will likely prescribe you some pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs. It is very important that you take these as prescribed. Not only will pain relievers help reduce the level of pain that you are experiencing, but they will also help you with any inflammation that could crop up. Your dentist might prescribe you a stronger dose of ibuprofen or another NSAID or they might prescribe you other types of medications.

Do Exactly What Your Dentist Says After the Surgery

Follow your dentist’s instructions to the letter. If you listen to your dentist’s instructions, you will avoid:

Implant-related gum disease
Excessive stress on the implant
Failure of bone grafts
Infection in the implant area

Plan on Regular Trips To the Dentist

After your dental implants have healed, make sure that you visit the dentist regularly for cleanings and checkups. If you hadn’t been to the dentist for quite some time before you got your implants, The Dental Concierge can suggest a good dentist in your area that specializes in helping you maintain your implants. When you visit the dentist regularly, they can help make sure that your implants will last a lifetime.

Why Use The Dental Concierge?

At The Dental Concierge, you will have an exceptional experience with your dental implants without the price. You will enjoy discounted lodgings and someone to pick you up at the airport and take you to your appointment. Additionally, you will have the best care possible in a caring, modern dental clinic.