Preparing For Dental Implants? How To Alleviate The Discomfort Associated With Bone Graft Surgery

If you're going to be undergoing the dental implant procedure, your dentist may recommend bone grafting prior to the implantation process. This is particularly true if you've suffered severe bone loss due to periodontitis. Bone grafting ensure that you'll have sufficient bone density to hold your implants securely in place. Once you've had your bone graft surgery, the new bone will need time to mesh with your existing bone. Following the bone graft surgery, you'll need some time to recover. Here are some steps you can take to alleviate some of the common post-operative discomfort.

Calm Your Nausea

After surgery, it's not uncommon to experience some light nausea. Unfortunately, nausea can be quite uncomfortable, especially following any type of oral surgery. You want to keep your stomach as calm as possible. To calm your stomach and reduce the symptoms of nausea, try sipping on clear sodas, or sports drinks. Sip them slowly to alleviate some of the distress you'll be experiencing. You can also try taking small bites of ice cream, or other soft, cool foods. If your nausea doesn't subside after about a day, you should notify your dentist.

Avoid Dizziness

Following surgery, you may experience some dizziness when you stand up, or move too quickly. Unfortunately, dizziness can lead to accidents, especially if you're alone after surgery. To reduce the occurrence of dizziness, try resting for as much as possible after surgery. When getting up from a lying down position, sit up slowly, and then rest for a few minutes before standing up. It's also a good idea to have someone near by for at least the first day after surgery.

Relieve Muscle Tightness

Your jaw muscles are going to be tight after surgery. That's because your mouth will have been held open during the surgery. To relieve the tight muscles, try applying ice packs for the first few hours after surgery. Be sure to place a wash cloth between your skin and the ice pack. You can also switch between heating pads and ice packs if you'd prefer. The heating pads, and ice packs will also help reduce swelling and bruising.

Beware of Infection

After you've had your bone graft surgery, you'll need to beware of infection. Without proper care, you can develop an infection in your gums where the grafting has taken place. Some of the signs you'll need to watch for include high fever, increased pain, or a yellowish discharge from the surgical site. If you notice any of those signs, you'll need to notify your dentist immediately.

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