After implant surgery: what happens in the first 14 days

The first 24 hours

The gauze pad over the surgical site stays in place, with steady pressure, for the first 30 to 60 minutes. Do not keep lifting it to check — a clot forms in that window and each check restarts the process. Light oozing that tints your saliva pink is expected for the rest of the day.

Take the first dose of painkiller before the anaesthetic wears off, not after the pain arrives. Chasing pain that has already started takes far more medication than staying ahead of it. Follow the dose and interval on the sheet you were given at the clinic.

• Cold compress on the cheek: 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for the rest of the day.
• Sleep with your head raised on two pillows for the first three nights — lying flat increases both swelling and throbbing.
• No rinsing, no spitting, no straws for 24 hours. All three create suction that can pull the clot out.
• No smoking. This is the single biggest controllable risk factor for an implant failing to integrate.

Days 2 to 3 — the swelling peak

Swelling does not peak on the day of surgery. It peaks on the second or third day, which surprises most patients because they feel worse than they did the evening after the operation. This is normal and it is the point at which recovery turns.

Bruising on the cheek or under the jaw may appear now, sometimes yellowish-green as it fades. It is not a sign that anything went wrong. From day three, switch the cold compress for gentle warmth, which helps the bruising clear faster.

Cleaning your mouth without disturbing the site

From 24 hours after surgery, rinse gently with warm salt water — a level teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water — after every meal and before bed. Gently means letting it fall out of your mouth, not swilling and spitting.

Brush your other teeth normally from the first evening. Neglecting them because your mouth is sore raises the bacterial load in exactly the place you need it lowest. Around the surgical site itself, use the soft brush you were given and no pressure at all.

If you were prescribed a chlorhexidine mouthwash, use it for the number of days you were told and no longer. Extended use stains teeth and dulls taste.

Week 2 and beyond — integration

Stitches, where they are not the dissolving kind, come out around day 7 to 10. After that the visible part of healing is essentially finished, and the part that decides whether the implant works is invisible: the bone growing onto the titanium surface. That takes roughly three months in the lower jaw and up to six in the upper jaw, where the bone is softer.

During that period the implant is holding, but it is not yet load-bearing in the way a natural tooth root is. If you have a temporary bridge, it is designed for appearance and light function — not for testing.

• No hard exercise for the first week; nothing heavy for two.
• No alcohol while you are taking antibiotics or strong painkillers.
• Chew on the opposite side until you are told otherwise.
• Keep every review appointment, including the ones where you feel fine.

When to contact the clinic straight away