Basically, pre-operation and post-operation, my oral surgeon was very cavalier about my dental implant, DESPITE the fact I have already had one failure. He just said, "avoid that area and keep it clean. And rinse with plenty of salt water. If this one fails, there's nothing more I can do. We'll get you a bridge."

I found a whole list of do's and don'ts online about pre and post-operation care. One thing, in particular, I noticed some dentists were requiring their patients use Peridex antibacterial rinse before and after surgery. They also were advising not to use toothpaste for the first week after surger until the stitches were taken out. I called a Manhattan dentist who recommended this and asked him over the phone. He said that toothpaste should be avoided entirely for the first week until stitches are removed and the implant area should not be brushed at all for 6 months. Instead, Peridex should be used in that area.

Is it common to be perscribed Peridex antibacterial rinse and be advised not to use toothpaste for the first week, until the stitches are taken out? I have read this a few places online, but when I called my oral surgeon all agitated (great idea, I know), he said, "No, no, no, you don't need that. Saltwater is the best antibacterial rinse you can use. You can use toothpaste, just avoid the stitches because you don't want to pull them."

It is frustrating because my surgeon always poo-poo's my questions and reassures me, often interrupting me before I've finished my sentence. So basically, his attitude is that he knows best and that my concerns are misguided. Still, he doesn't tell me much in the way of precautions and, like I said, my first implant failed!

Wow, i just got off the phone with my Oral Surgeon concerning post op care . i will be having my implants placed on june 22nd with immediate load the following day . i was informed that a liquid and soft diet is most important to avoid failure.. i was not told about toothpaste but i will place this question of my list . i was given all my pain medication , antibiotics and a prescription for peridex to use post /op.
hope you do very well and your recovery goes smothly .

Implants can fail for a number of reasons. If it fails within the first four to five months, it was probably a surgical failure. The chances of a surgcal implant failure increases if the implant is placed in a fresh extraction site or in conjunction with bone grafting. This is not to say that immediate placement or implants placed with bone grafting is contraindicated, it isn't. It's just that the chances of failure increase. Immediate load implants are relatively new. This is where the implant is placed and a tooth immediately placed upon it. This also increases the chances of failure. If the implant is improperly placed where the implant is not contained within the bone, but come out of the bone at some point, then the chance of failure increases. Traditionally, the implant is placed completely within the bone. If this is the case, then surgical failures are rare. Special post-operative precautions don't make much difference. In other cases, post operative care is very important.

Peridex is a Rx mouth rinse that produces 100% bacterial kills for up to 8 hours. The use of peridex will help keep the surgical site clean and free of infection. Many implant dentists prescribe Peridex post-operatively, others like the patient to stay on Peridex indefinately and others do not use it at all. Bottom line - success rates seem consistant with each technique.

Listerine - produces bacterial kill and is good for a completely healed site. Listerine has a high alcohol content. Alcohol will disolve blood clots and as such should be avoided until healing is complete.

Toothpaste - traditionally, toothpastes did not interfere with healing. Newer tooth whitening tooth pastes in particular have a peroxide base. Peroxide will disolve blood clots and should be avoided until healing is complete. Tooth paste is okay during healing but only the "old fashion" kind - not the newer whitening types.

After the implant has healed and loaded, it becomes important to keep it clean. Implants are succeptible to the same bacteria as those causing periodontal disease in teeth. Due to the attachment mechanisms of implants, where a tooth might take 6 years to be lost due to periodontal disease, an implant can fail in 6 months.

Good luck

I have immediate loaded implants or teeth in a day which is what it was called. My doctor drew blood before the surgery and separated the platelets from my blood and placed it along with bits of my own bone from the surgical site around the implants, This is suppose to lesson the chance of rejections as it is with your own blood.

I was prescribed peridex and it was too strong for me. I was so sore and burned constantly. They told me to stop using this and to only use salt water.

So far I am doing very well that I can tell. I just had surgery on May9th. I will not see anyone until October to see how they bonded until then.

I am only a soft no chew diet for 3 months.

Anita

How did you know your implant failed?

Mine failed but they didn't redo it. They just went inside and cleaned it out and packed more synthetic bone material around it. I feel like it's still not right because I just had it done on Wednesday and Saturday, I lost a stitch already. I have the worst luck and I'm gently swishing with salt water. Not eating anything chewable. I am liquifying all of my food and eating lots of yogurt. So what am I doing wrong?