If you are considering getting a dental implant to replace missing teeth or have already received one, you may wonder what you can eat during your recovery from the surgical procedure. This blog discusses dietary recommendations besides a few healing and recovery tips from the dentist in Portland, OR.
Optimal Foods to Eat after Dental Implant Surgery
After getting dental implants in Portland, you must stick to soft foods that don’t require intensive chewing. On the day of your surgery, it helps if you eat very soft or liquid foods. Soft foods help prevent you from chewing or biting your tongue until the effects of the numbing medications used during the surgical process wear off.
Immediately following your surgery, the dentist recommends eating smoothies, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, applesauce, mashed potatoes, creamy soups, broth, and other soft and liquid foods.
Can You Drink Hot Beverages after Getting Implants?
After getting dental implants placed in your edentulous socket, you may desire a hot cup of coffee to get over the reality that you have made efforts to close the gaps between your teeth. However, the Portland dentist suggests not to have scalding foods or beverages for fear of burning your throat and tongue because the anesthesia provided during the surgery requires at least four to six hours to wear off. Therefore you must avoid having hot foods or beverages for a few days following surgery.
The dentist in Portland also suggests you refrain from alcohol and smoking because both practices can delay your recovery and invite infections in your mouth. Alcohol consumption can interact with the pain-relieving medications you receive to cause additional discomfort after your surgery. Therefore the answer to the above question is an emphatic no. You must refrain from hot beverages or foods for a few days relying instead on lukewarm versions to satisfy your desire.
Tips for Healing after Dental Plan Placement
Would you like to recover quickly after dental implant placement? Although healing times can vary between patients, below are some tips that can assist in your quick recovery. They are:
- Don’t Skip Meals: you may feel soreness and nausea during the days following dental implant placement. The discomfort may encourage you to skip meals. However, proper nutrition is essential to keep you healthy and strong. Therefore you must do your best to eat consistently and get sufficient food daily.
- Keep Yourself Hydrated: keeping yourself hydrated keeps your body healthy and helps make you feel better after surgery. However, you must restrict yourself to water, not sweetened or carbonated beverages, because they can harm your dental implants and the surgical site.
- Refrain from Exercising: you must refrain from exercising for at least 72 hours after dental implant placement. It includes strenuous exercises, moving heavy boxes, furniture, et cetera. The precautions help minimize bleeding and discomfort.
- Caring for Your Mouth:24 hours after dental implant surgery, you can rinse your mouth with salt water 3 to 4 times daily after meals and before bed. You can also brush your teeth by avoiding the surgical site until the dental offices providing the implants permit you to proceed. However, caring for your mouth doesn’t mean you can use over-the-counter mouthwash brands because most contain alcohol harmful to your mouth after dental implant placement.
- Avoid Smoking or Using Tobacco: Besides impairing your healing, smoking or using Tobacco in other forms also results in dental implant failure. The Portland dentist refrains from providing dental implants to patients who cannot overcome tobacco because it is a leading cause of gum disease, which causes implant failure by weakening your jawbone.
When you receive dental implants from the Portland dentist, you receive comprehensive instructions to follow during your recovery. After spending considerably to receive dental implants to replace your missing tooth, you must follow the after-care instructions diligently to allow your recovery process to proceed smoothly.
The faster you recover from the surgery, the sooner you can have a customized dental crown mounted on the implant to function as your natural-looking artificial tooth. The dental implant placement doesn’t begin and end with embedding dental implants in your jawbone. After-care is also a crucial part of your recovery if you desire to close the gaps between your teeth and prevent the embarrassment of having missing teeth.
If you intend to replace missing teeth with dental implants, Pham Dental Care provides them with comprehensive instructions on your recovery after the surgical process. Kindly schedule a meeting with them to start planning dental implant placement and your recovery quickly to receive an artificial tooth as soon as possible.