Future Docs Blog

Dental implant surgery leaves some form of a wound in the mouth of the patient. Infections usually occur if harmful bacteria have access to your body and have the right conditions to survive and multiply. Most of the activities that a person does over the course of the day can easily expose them to infection in the wound. However, prevention of infections after surgery is quite easy. Here are four effective ways of preventing infection after a dental implants surgery.

1. Brushing gently

Brushing teeth is a day to day activity that is meant to keep the hygiene of your teeth at its beat. Immediately after a dental implant, it is critical for an individual to keep on brushing their teeth to maintain hygiene. However, it is advisable to brush the teeth lightly and gently to avoid any injury to the area of the surgery. Immediately after surgery, the gum around the implant is not fully healed and should not be brushed vigorously as this will only aggravate the wound. The main aim of brushing during this time is to ensure that no food particles lodge themselves on the wound which would lead to infection. In some cases, it may also be advisable to stop the brushing for a short period to allow some form of healing to the wound.

2. Rinse with salt water

Rinsing your mouth is part of mouth hygiene. Using salt water makes the rinsing of the mouth much more effective. This is because salt is alkaline in nature and raises the PH levels of the mouth making it unconducive for the bacteria. Bacteria generally like an environment with a lower PH because here they can grow to their full potential and cause all forms of infections. Salt water is very easy to make because all you need is to add salt to a cup of warm water and rinse the mouth. The water should be used after every two hours to ensure that the PH levels are maintained.

3. Soft foods

Infections normally occur around areas where there is direct contact with the blood flow. Wounds that are in the mouth immediately after a dental implant need to be kept closed to ensure that there is no direct contact with blood. Food is the main thing that can cause injury to the wounds in the mouth. Hard foods need to be avoided because they can reopen incisions as well as remove stitches. Liquids and a soft diet should be maintained to ensure that the wound is not worsened at any given time.

4. Smoking

Smoking is quite harmful even when one is not undergoing a surgery. There are a large number of effects that are associated with smoking. It is important for an individual that engages in smoking to desist from smoking before the surgery as well as after the surgery. Smoking introduces bacteria in the mouth which can lead to infections and affect the healing process.