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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

4 Tips For An Easy Recovery From Dental Implant Surgery

by Eric Bailey

Dental implants are one of the most natural-looking replacements for missing teeth. However, many people who have considered dental implants are concerned about pain and swelling during the recovery period. Here are a few tips to help make your recovery as quick and comfortable as possible after dental implant surgery.

Managing Bleeding and Swelling

During the first day or two after your dental implants are placed, you can expect mild to moderate bleeding in the gums surrounding the implant. Occasionally, manual stimulation from chewing or massaging the gums can cause a sudden increase in bleeding. When this happens, placing a gauze pad over the bleeding area and biting down to maintain pressure can help to control the bleeding. Replace the gauze every 30 to 60 minutes until the bleeding slows down. You can also minimize bleeding by refraining from physical activity that increases your heart rate and blood pressure.

Swelling and bruising of the gums can persist throughout the first week after the surgery. Over-the-counter pain medication is typically effective to manage pain from bruised gums. Holding an ice pack on your jaw where the swelling occurs can help it go down more quickly. Use the ice pack for only 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and place a cloth between the pack and your skin to protect it from frostbite. When the swelling starts to subside, you can switch to a warm compress to promote blood flow and help the bruising heal more quickly.

Soft Food Diet

Your dentist will recommend that you avoid hard, sticky, and chewy foods while your implant is healing. Not only does this reduce pain and bleeding while your gums heal, but it also helps your implant to set in place more quickly. Dental implants bond directly to your jawbone through a process called osseointegration. Eating hard or chewy foods can cause the implant to move slightly, making it take longer for osseointegration to occur.

Sticking to a soft food diet for at least the first week after your implants are installed is an excellent way to accelerate your recovery. Foods like yogurt, eggs, and soup will have no effect on the osseointegration of the implant. You should also avoid smoking and using other tobacco products, as these will make your gums heal much more slowly.

Oral Hygiene

Maintaining your regular dental hygiene routine is essential to keep your gums healthy while you are recovering from dental implant surgery. There will be a small amount of space between the implant and your gums until they have fully healed. Brushing and flossing will prevent food particles from getting lodged in this space and irritating the gums.

To prevent bleeding while you are brushing around the implant, use reduced pressure and a soft-bristle brush. Rinsing your mouth with salt water or mouthwash after every meal will provide additional protection against food particle build-up.

Follow-Up Care

Your dentist will schedule follow-up appointments to monitor the healing process of your implants. Attending all of these appointments is the best way to make sure that your implant is healing correctly and to avoid complications. During the appointment, the dentist will talk to you about any pain or other symptoms you are experiencing during the recovery. He or she will also take an x-ray of the implant to make sure it is still aligned properly and is integrating with your jawbone.

Recovery after dental implant surgery is not difficult, and it is well worth it for the benefits that dental implants offer. Talk to a dentist like Dale D. Lentz DDS about dental implants if you are looking for a tooth replacement option that is permanent, natural-looking, and as functional as normal teeth.

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