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Instructions Following Implant Surgery/Implant Treatment

  • Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping are normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers. Please DO NOT SPIT your saliva from your mouth, even if it is blood-streaked. If you have blood-streaked saliva and prefer not to swallow it, you may push your saliva gently out of your mouth into a cloth/paper towel. Please call our office or email info@njcosa.com if you have questions or concerns.
  • Please follow the pain management instructions provided by our office or as discussed with Dr. Costello directly. Simply call our office or email info@njcosa.com if you have questions.
  • Swelling around the face and surgical site is expected and may become more prominent each day for the first 72 hours following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the implant site(s) and sleeping with your head higher than your heart are two helpful techniques to minimize (but not eliminate) swelling.  Remember to place a cloth between your skin and the ice pack. Apply the ice pack for 30 minutes on and at least 30 minutes off for the first 48 hours then, on day 3 following your surgery, discontinue use of cold compresses to the face as the ice will no longer have a therapeutic effect on your swelling.
  • NEVER put pressure directly ONTO the implant healing abutment that sticks out of the gum tissue. If this loosens, call or email our office for an appointment.
  • Use a warm salt water rinse, approximately ½ teaspoon in an eight ounce glass of water, after meals and snacks is recommended. IF YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, simply use PLAIN WATER with NO SALT as your rinse after meals and snacks.
  • While you are still feeling numbness from surgery, avoid chewing anything and avoid hot fluids or foods so that you do not bite or burn yourself.
  • While you are healing, avoid hot pepper and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages. Smoking is not recommended.
  • Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid continual conversation, work or play for the first 72 hours. A resting heart rate is desirable to avoid a throbbing achiness reported by patients following periods of activity, busy days, excessive sweating and inadequate hydration.
  • Resuming normal activity depends upon the type and extent of surgery you have had. Please consult Dr. Costello for answers to your questions. Simply call our office or email info@njcosa.com if you have questions.
  • When you wake up in the morning after your surgery, gently rinse with warm salt water. You may brush, floss and rinse following meals. You may have difficulty opening your mouth enough to reach your back teeth. This is expected to improve after the 3 rd day as your healing continues.
  • You may brush around the surgical site on day 2 following your surgery by gently sweeping the bristles of a soft toothbrush around the gumline by the adjacent teeth. Call our office or email info@njcosa.com if you have questions.
  • Follow our post-operative instructions sheets for additional information about your dietary restrictions which include avoidance of foods with pits, seeds and those that are hard and crunchy. Depending upon the extent and type of your surgery, it is best to restrict your diet to soft foods and liquids such as soups, yogurt, juices, smoothies, mashed or pureed items.
  • DO NOT USE A STRAW for the first 3-5 days. Drink/eat directly from a cup or utensil (spoon, fork). Refer to our surgical instructions guide for additional information about your SOFT-MECHANICAL DIET.
  • If you find that your denture or temporary bridge puts pressure on your implant or the tissue adjacent to it, it is best to come in for evaluation. As you heal, the relationship of your temporary denture/bridge that overlaps the implant site can change and may require adjustment. Call our office or email info@njcosa.com if you have questions.
  • Follow up appointment(s) are set for all patients who have had implants, bone grafts and sinus lifts to monitor your healing process.
  • If your pain and swelling seems unusual or different from what you expected at any time, please call our office or email info@njcosa.com.
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