Remember to Take out Your Dentures Every Night

Successful recovery after a dental implant surgery requires a lot of discipline. When preparing for the surgery, your dentist will give you a long list of do's and don'ts that you are supposed to adhere to. For example, you may be required to avoid the following leisure activities after your surgery:

Scuba Diving

Going scuba diving after a recent dental implant surgery isn't advisable for several reasons. For one, many divers use their teeth to drag the air regulator through the water. Depending on the position of your implant, it may mean using your implanted tooth to support the regulator, and the stress may be too much for the tooth.

Secondly, biting down on the mouthpiece may destabilize the dental implant. Thirdly, the changes in pressure as you go into or come out of the water can lead to severe pain around the implant.

Drinking Alcohol

It's also advisable to stay off alcohol immediately after your implant surgery. Alcohol can affect your dental implant in three main ways:

• Impaired blood clotting: Moderate intake of alcohol acts as a blood thinner, which means it makes your blood less likely to clot. This may be beneficial for some people, for example, those at risk of heart diseases, but it is bad after surgery because you need the blood to clot and stop the bleeding.
• Dehydration: Alcohol dehydrates the body, and you need your body hydrated to help it heal fast.
• Difficulty with osseointegration: Research in rabbits show that alcohol reduces the effectiveness of the bond between the bone and implant. The same thing may happen in human beings.

Playing Physical Games

You will have to avoid your morning runs or your evening basketball games for a short while after your surgery. Any activity that creates significant physical strain may result in increased swelling, bleeding and pain. Apart from that, a quick and sudden movement of your head may also loosen the crown covering your implant.

The good news is that you are only required to avoid strenuous physical activities for a few days. To keep your muscles and joints supple during this time, try range-of-motion exercises that do not strain you too much or involve sudden movements. For example, shoulder rotations and synchronized arm movements may help.

From the above examples, it's clear that you need to be on the lookout for anything that may impact your dental implant because some of them aren't obvious. If you have any special leisure or social hobbies, talk to your dentist to see whether they may affect you after the surgery. To learn more, contact a family dentistry clinic like Market Street Dental PC.