If you plan to have dental implants installed, you are surely expecting to come out of the surgery with the most fabulous smile around. Not very often will you find that you’ve completely forgotten about the aftermath and what it entails exactly. After all, it is surgery and all surgeries are quite serious, even if it’s outpatient. Here’s what you should expect to experience after you have your smile restored. It isn’t anything extraordinary, but having every bit of knowledge will help decrease any unnecessary panic you may feel as your anesthetic wears off:
Soreness. You’ll experience some soreness in your jaw and gums since the tissue had to be damaged to accommodate the dental implants. You’ll be able to help the pain with over-the-counter prescription pain killers, and then eventually switch to less powerful pain killer such as ibuprofen or Tylenol.
Swelling. It’s very common for your jaw, gums and cheeks to swell up after dental implant surgery. The swelling will typically last for about a week. You can help reduce the swelling by applying an ice pack to the affected areas for 15 minutes at a time, with 15 minutes breaks in between.
Bruising. Bruises may start to appear on your jaw, gums, and neck which is a result of your dental implants being installed. Any discoloration will be more noticeable once swelling does down, but the bruising should start to reduce, eventually gone by the end of the first week.
After the first or second week, your face should look and feel considerably better, and you should be able to return to your normal daily activities. If any of the side effect do start to worsen, call your dentist immediately.
Schedule an appointment today (702) 735-2755.
Dr. Patrick Simone proudly serves patients from Henderson and all surrounding areas.