Your new dental implants are going to improve your life, possibly in ways you cannot imagine. But first you need to recover from the titanium post implanted in your jaw before you can fully take advantage of it. In general it takes about 3 to 6 months and even longer for implants to become integrated into your bone before you can fully use them.
During the initial post-operative phase, you should take it easy. Be a couch potato. Rest is the most important thing, especially in the first 48 hours. In the first week, you should have no physical activity or anything the increases your heartrate significantly.
You can expect a little bleeding right after the surgery, and it may continue for a few hours/days depending on the number of implants that are placed. To stop the bleeding, we recommend folding one of the provided gauze over the site, and gently biting down to apply pressure at the site. This will usually do it. If after one hour of pressure there is still some bleeding call either one of our main office numbers in Cupertino or SF for further instructions.
Apart from that, you should avoid chewing at the implant site. Except for keeping it clean with the prescription mouthwash, there is nothing else that you need to do at the site. We want you to leave the area alone until your first postop appointment which is typically 7 – 10 days after surgery.
Just like any surgical procedure, there will be some swelling and possibly bruising. This is perfectly normal and part of the healing process. These symptoms may not present themselves until the day after the surgery, and it will probably reach its peak until at least 2 – 3 days after surgery. The swelling and possible bruising will subside over 7 – 10 days after surgery. You can minimize all of this by applying the provided compression dressing with icepacks. This is most beneficial in the first 2 days in order to prevent and reduce the level of expected swelling. The more you apply ice, the better.
