Getting Rid of Gum Disease

If you are getting ready to have dental implants installed, you may have heard from your dentist about some possible discomfort that can happen during recovery. Thankfully, all discomfort can be treated if you know what to do. Here are some tips for dealing with discomfort.

Flossing and Brushing Problems

It is normal for your mouth to feel a bit sore once the implants are installed, which can make the process of flossing and brushing uncomfortable. It's important that you don't let this discomfort prevent you from taking care of your oral health. You'll need to stay on top of keeping the surgical area clean in order to reduce your risk of a potential infection.

You can always be gentle when brushing around an implant, so consider switching to a soft-bristled toothbrush. For flossing, stay away from using a water flosser and use gentle motions with waxed floss.

Gum Bleeding

Expect bleeding to occur during those first few days after your implant surgery. You'll be advised to use gauze on the surgical areas to help put pressure on the area and limit bleeding. A notable problem caused by bleeding is how it can get worse when you put physical stress on your body. Lifting something heavy, exercising, or anything getting your heart rate up can cause the area to bleed more.

Try to take it easy during the initial healing period in order to limit the bleeding. If you seem to have severe bleeding, contact your dentist for advice on what to do.

Facial Swelling

Facial swelling can happen when you have irritated tissues in your mouth. This is normal and should go away after a couple days of recovery. Apply ice to the area to help the swelling go down, and take any anti-inflammatory medications prescribed by your dentist. Reach out to your dentist if the swelling gets worse over the healing period.

Upset Stomach

Another potential problem is nausea caused by a combination of medications, swallowing blood, and side effects of anesthetics. Nausea is completely normal and will go away on its own. If nausea continues, talk to your dentist about switching up any medications that you are on, since that can be the cause of ongoing nausea.

If at any point you do not feel like your recovery process is going as planned, don't be afraid to ask your dentist for help. They are familiar with the side effects and how to deal with them and can give you additional advice on how to improve them.