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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

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Don't Let Dieting Impact Your Oral Health

Like many people who need to lose a few pounds, I try diet after diet in an attempt to find one that finally works for me. I learned the hard way that I need to make sure any diet will not harm my teeth, even if it does help me lose a few pounds. I learned this lesson when following a grapefruit diet. There are many versions of this, but the version I tried had me eat a grapefruit alone several times each day. It was supposed to suppress my appetite. I helped keep me from munching on unhealthy snacks, but the acid in the fruit took a toll on my tooth enamel and I quickly started getting lots of cavities. I created this blog to remind people that change up their diets often to make sure the foods they are eating are not harming their teeth.

A Guide To Dental Implant Recovery

30 January 2015
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

If you would rather smile with your lips pressed together, and you feel self conscious when you laugh out loud, you are not alone. Millions of people feel embarrassed about their teeth. Many of these people are turning to dental implants to repair crooked, decaying, or missing teeth.

Dental implantation, however, is a considerable surgery. Recovery needs to be taken seriously in order to ensure the easiest and fastest healing experience.

Here are some tips to reduce the symptoms of surgery, and to have a smooth recovery process:

Ice Is Your New Best Friend.  Applying ice to the affected area at least once an hour for the first 24-48 hours after surgery can be extremely beneficial. The ice prevents swelling which allows the area to heal quickly.

Adjust Your Diet.  Many foods can press or tug at new dental implants while they are setting, so it is important to maintain a soft food diet for a week following surgery. Some soft foods that are ideal for recovery include oatmeal, bananas, applesauce, smoothies, eggs, rice etc.

Drop That Cigarette! Smoking can actually affect the bond of the implant to the gum, which can lead to failed dental implantation. Smoking also greatly increases the risk of infection after the surgery, and in the case that you did get an infection, it would take a smoker longer to recover from an infection than it would take a non smoker.

Abstain From Alcohol.  Like smoking, drinking also increases the risk for failed implants, and can hamper the antibiotics used during and after surgery to keep infection at bay.

Practice Hygiene. Although the thought of brushing teeth after they have been operated on may make you cringe, continuing to practice proper hygiene after surgery is essential.  Brush teeth gently with a soft-bristled tooth brush, and follow with mouth wash. Mouth wash is important in keeping bacteria and disease at away.

Rest is Key. Getting adequate rest during the first few days after your surgery will pay off in the long run. While you may feel worried about the things that you need to be doing, rest will speed recovery so you will have plenty of time to accomplish tasks later. However, if you do strain yourself too much in the beginning, you may have complications such as excessive bleeding that will lengthen your recovery process.

By following these steps while keeping in touch with your dentist (like those at First Coast Periodontics, P.A.), you can have a problem free recovery. Not only will you be back to your daily routine in no time, you will be enjoying a new smile and a new, confident you!