I recently had to undergo a bone graft to help with my dental implants. I originally assumed I was going in for round 3 of attempting to get my dental implant to work, but instead walked out with a bone graft and a wait of 4 months before we try again for the implant.
Click here if you want to read more about my dental implant journey.
***Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional of any kind! These are just based off of my own personal experiences***
Day of Bone Graft Surgery
If you were sedated you will be extremely groggy and want to go to sleep. Make sure you have a ton of pillows around as you will want to be propped up to allow draining.
For Swelling and Pain you will want to use ice packs (highly recommend the magic bag! It just holds the cold better) and alternating 20 min on, 20 min off. Your doctor should also have given you ibuprofen, but if not, start taking some.
Food will be super restricted on this day, which sucks as you’ll be starving. You’re only allowed to eat and drink cold things like ice cream, smoothies, milkshakes, jello, etc. I lived off of ice cream on this day.
Day 1 of Recovery
I was SUPER nauseous on Day 1. Between the sedation wearing off, the would draining, and being on a soft food diet, I couldn’t get my stomach to settle and all I wanted was crackers or toast to help it (which you cannot have!) I was allowed to drink coffee though so that made me slightly happy.
To control the swelling keeps taking your ibuprofen and you can use heating pads or a hotter bottle to help reduce swelling. You should also be using the prescribed mouthwash on Day 1. Use it twice a day after eating or drinking something.
For food, you can now eat hot soups and VERY soft foods like eggs, mashed potatoes, etc. My husband made me roast beef that he shredded up and mashed potatoes with gravy for dinner as I was so hungry.
Click here if you want to learn my best soft food diet tips.
Day 2 of Recovery
I was beyond hangry on day 2. I do not do well with soft food diets. After a crying freak-out my husband went and picked up some chilli from my favourite chilli place. Absolutely not recommended this soon after surgery, but I decided I was a pro at this point and didn’t care
Spend the day lounging and healing. Take naps, and eat all the ice cream and pudding. Still use a heating pad to control the swelling and take ibuprofen as well as the prescribed mouth wash.
The Worst Day
Hands down, Day 3 was the worst day!!! My face was more swollen than usual and if I thought Day 1 was bad for nausea, it had nothing on day 3.
Make sure you have a heating pad on standby and don’t leave your bed on this day. Also, don’t eat chilli on Day 2 and maybe you’ll avoid this stage….
After this things get easier and you’ll be back on your feet in a week.
Things to Avoid
- Do not suck or spit
- You can’t use straws
- You can’t smoke
Try to not disturb the wound as much as you can. Eat on the other side of your mouth, and don’t brush any teeth that are close to the wound. If you use an electric toothbrush, I suggest switching to a normal one for the next few weeks to ensure you don’t accidentally hit the wound.
If you have any tips, tricks, or must have’s for bone graft surgery, I would LOVE to hear about them in the comment section!
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