Full-Arch Implant Aftercare
For: Missing All Teeth (Full-Arch Implants)
Stage: After full-arch implant surgery, while you wear your temporary teeth
How to care for your mouth and your temporary teeth after full-arch implant surgery. The soft diet during healing is the single most important rule.
Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.
The Most Important Things to Do
- Stay on the soft diet for the whole healing period, until we tell you it is safe to change. Hard food can overload implants that are still healing and crack the temporary teeth.
- Do not bite into food with your front teeth. Cut everything into small pieces and chew gently.
- Do not try to remove fixed temporary teeth. Only the office removes them.
- Do not smoke or vape while you heal. Smoking is one of the biggest risks to implant healing.
- Keep everything clean with the rinse and brushing routine you were shown.
When to Call Us
- Bleeding that is still heavy after an hour of firm, steady pressure.
- Pain or swelling that gets worse after the third day instead of better.
- A fever, pus, or a bad taste that does not go away.
- Temporary teeth that feel loose, crack, chip, or suddenly feel different when you bite.
- Numbness of the lip, chin or tongue that has not worn off by the next day.
- A rash, itching or other reaction after taking a medicine.
If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, or swelling that spreads toward your eye or down your neck, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
What Is Normal Today
- Oozing of blood for the first day or so. Pink saliva is expected.
- Numbness for several hours while the anesthetic wears off.
- Swelling and bruising of the face, which usually build for two to three days and then fade.
- Temporary teeth that feel bulky or unfamiliar. Your tongue and lips need time to adjust.
- Speech that sounds a little different at first. This usually improves with practice over the following days.
- If you were sedated, do not drive, sign important papers or operate machinery for at least 24 hours, or longer if you were told so at your visit. Have a responsible adult take you home and stay with you.
Your Recovery, Day by Day
First 24 Hours
- Rest with your head raised on extra pillows. Use ice packs wrapped in a thin cloth, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, while you are awake.
- Liquids and very soft foods only. No straws, no spitting, and nothing hot.
Days 2 to 3
- Begin the rinses you were given. Swelling and bruising are usually at their peak now.
First Weeks
- Stay on soft foods you can cut with a fork. Soreness should improve a little each day.
Healing Period
- The implants bond with the bone over several months. We will tell you when it is safe to widen your diet and when your final teeth can be made.
Eating & Drinking
- Wait until the numbness has fully worn off before eating.
- Start with liquids and very soft foods such as smoothies eaten with a spoon, yogurt, soups that have cooled down and mashed potatoes.
- Then move to soft, fork-tender foods such as eggs, pasta, fish, well-cooked vegetables and rice.
- Avoid hard, crunchy, sticky and chewy foods, including nuts, chips, crusty bread, raw vegetables, steak and gum.
- Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol while you are taking prescription pain medicine.
Cleaning & Activity
- Brush the temporary teeth and gums gently with a soft brush, as you were shown.
- Use the prescribed rinse or warm salt water exactly as instructed, especially after meals.
- Do not use a water flosser until we say it is fine, then use it on a low setting.
- Rest for the first few days. Avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting until the swelling has settled.
Medication
- Take pain medicine exactly as directed at your visit, whether it was prescribed or over the counter.
- If you were prescribed an antibiotic or a medicated rinse, use every dose as directed until it is finished.
- Prescription pain medicine can make you drowsy. Do not drive or drink alcohol while taking it.
- Take medicine with a little soft food to help avoid an upset stomach.
Where anything here differs from what you were told at your visit, follow the specific instructions you were given at your visit.
Swelling & Discomfort
- Ice during the first 24 hours helps limit swelling. After 48 hours, a warm, moist cloth can ease stiffness, unless you were told otherwise.
- Bruising may spread toward the neck or under the eyes and change color as it fades. This is normal.
- Sore corners of the mouth are common after a long procedure. A lip balm can help.
Follow-Up Visits
- Keep every healing check. We watch the gums, check your bite and adjust the temporary teeth if needed.
- Once the implants have healed, we will schedule the visits to make and deliver your final teeth.
Last revised
Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.