5 Tips for Exercise Enthusiasts After Dental Implant Surgery
Posted on: 9 November 2020
After dental implant surgery, the surgical site needs time to heal. This means that you should try to put exercise off for a while. Although this could be a problem if you have a regular exercise routine, the healing and stability of your new dental implant depends on it. If you have just had a dental implant placed, use the following tips to ensure your dental implant heals fully.
1. Don't Exercise for the First Few Days
The first 3-4 days are very important to the healing phase of a dental implant. If you put too much pressure on the healing dental implant in the first few days, you will slow the healing process down and cause yourself unnecessary pain. So no matter how tempted you are to exercise; rest instead, and let your body recover from the trauma of the surgery.
2. Don't Sip Cold Drinks Through a Straw
Over the first 24 hours especially, avoid drinking sports or energy drinks through a straw. Since the blood clot is still forming during the first 24 hours, which is essential to healing, sucking through a straw could dislodge the clot. This will lead to severe pain and interfere with healing. If you do drink anything while doing light exercise, drink straight from the bottle or a cup.
3. Avoid Running for a Week
Strenuous exercises such as running cause an increase in blood flow to your head. Not only will this cause you pain at the surgical site, but the jarring impacts could interfere with the healing process. Running with your mouth open will also dry your mouth out, and this, too, slows down the healing process because saliva is essential to the healing of oral wounds.
4. Avoid Contact Sports for a few Weeks
While your dental implant is still integrating with your jawbone, any jarring impacts could knock it loose and damage your jawbone. If you play physical sports like football or basketball, avoid playing these sports until your dentist gives you the go-ahead.
5. Be Careful When Lifting Weights
If you lift weights, especially heavy ones, be mindful of how you lift them. For instance, don't grit your teeth as you lift heavy weights, as this will put unnecessary pressure on the healing dental implant. Lift lighter weights, or wear or mouth guard if you struggle with gritting your teeth while lifting weights.
If exercise is important to you, try to do less strenuous exercises like yoga or walking. Otherwise, you could slow down the healing process and add weeks or even months onto your healing time. For more information about how to take care of dental implants, reach out to a dentist.
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