Dental Implant Surgery Aftercare
For: Missing One Tooth (Single Implant), Missing Multiple Teeth (Implant Bridge)
Stage: After implant surgery, while the implant heals and before your final tooth is attached
How to care for a new dental implant while it heals into the bone. Gentle care now protects the foundation for your final tooth.
Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.
The Most Important Things to Do
- Do not chew on the implant site until we tell you it is ready. Chew on the other side.
- Do not smoke or vape while you heal. Smoking is one of the biggest risks to an implant healing well.
- Leave the area alone. Do not pull your lip to look, and keep your tongue and fingers off the site.
- Keep it clean gently with the rinse or salt water routine you were given, starting the day after surgery.
- Wear any removable temporary tooth only as directed. It should not press on the surgical site.
When to Call Us
- Bleeding that is still heavy after an hour of firm, steady pressure with fresh gauze.
- 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.
- The implant, its healing cap, or your temporary tooth feels loose, moves, or comes off.
- 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
- Slight oozing of blood for the first day. Pink saliva is expected.
- Numbness for a few hours while the anesthetic wears off.
- Swelling and possibly bruising that build over the first two to three days, then fade.
- A small metal healing cap showing through the gum, or no visible part at all if the implant is covered by gum. Both are normal.
- Stitches, which may dissolve on their own or be removed at your follow-up.
- 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 an extra pillow. Use an ice pack wrapped in a thin cloth, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, while you are awake.
- No rinsing, no spitting, no straws, and no hot foods or drinks.
Days 2 to 3
- Begin the gentle rinses you were given. Swelling is usually at its peak now and then starts to ease.
First Weeks
- Stay on soft foods and keep chewing on the other side. Discomfort should keep improving.
Healing Period
- The implant bonds with the bone over a period of weeks to months. We will tell you when it is ready for your final tooth.
Eating & Drinking
- Wait until the numbness has fully worn off before eating.
- Choose soft foods such as yogurt, eggs, pasta, fish, mashed vegetables and soups that have cooled down.
- Avoid hard, crunchy, sticky and chewy foods on the implant side until we say it is safe.
- Drink plenty of water, but not through a straw for the first few days.
- Avoid alcohol for at least the first 24 hours, and for as long as you are taking prescription pain medicine.
Cleaning & Activity
- Brush your other teeth normally from the night of surgery. Near the implant, use a soft brush very gently, or skip it until you were told to start.
- Use the prescribed rinse or warm salt water exactly as instructed. Let it fall out of your mouth instead of spitting.
- Do not use a water flosser or electric toothbrush on the implant site until we say it is fine.
- Rest for the rest of the day. Avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for the first few days.
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 slightly and change color as it fades. This is normal.
- Mild tenderness around the implant can last about a week. It should improve steadily, not get worse.
Follow-Up Visits
- Keep your post-surgery check so we can see how the gum is healing and remove stitches if needed.
- Once the implant has healed into the bone, we will schedule the visits to make and attach your final tooth.
Last revised
Questions about your recovery? Call the office where you were treated.