After going through the process of getting dental implants fitted, you may find yourself craving a drink. However, drinking alcohol after dental implant surgery can delay recovery and even increase the risk that your dental implants will fail. Here are a few good reasons to avoid drinking alcohol for at least 72 hours after dental implant surgery.
Alcohol Reduces Healing
Alcohol interferes with the body's ability to produce proteins that are essential for normal healing. Alcohol also interacts with blood clots that form after oral surgery, causing them to dissolve and trigger bleeding in the mouth.
Alcohol Increases Pain
Even if you expect a cool beer to soothe any post-surgical discomfort, you will probably find that it has the opposite effect. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, which can make your gums more sensitive than usual. Skip the alcohol and stick to sipping water to give your dental implants the best chance of integrating normally into your mouth.
Alcohol Dehydrates Oral Tissues
Sipping water throughout the day helps to keep your mouth moist, which encourages healing. On the other hand, alcoholic drinks can actually cause dehydration, which leads to the tissues inside your mouth drying out. Dry mouth can be uncomfortable at the best of times, but right after dental implant surgery it may be very painful. Wait at least three days before you indulge in any kind of alcoholic drink.
Alcohol Can Cause Avascular Necrosis
In addition to slowing down the healing process and increasing discomfort, alcohol has also been linked to a rare complication that can affect dental implants: avascular necrosis, also known as AVN. This condition causes bone to die when the blood vessels that supply it with nutrients become blocked. It most often develops after a trauma or surgery that involves the bones, such as the fitting of dental implants. Alcohol increases the amount of fat in the blood, increasing the risk of clogs forming in the blood vessels in bone.
Developing AVN after getting dental implants fitted is rare. However, a report published in 2011 describes a 20-year-old male patient who developed this condition as a result of drinking alcohol one day after dental implant placement.
Alcohol Has Long-Term Effects on Dental Implants
Once your implant site has healed, it is safe to indulge in an alcoholic drink. However, drinking heavily when you have dental implants can be dangerous. Drinking excessively can reduce the blood supply to your implants, increasing the risk of AVN even after your implants have healed. Protect your oral health by only indulging in moderate amounts of alcohol.
Share3 January 2018
Miranda Raff here. My brother is a stressed-out dental student, so I'm starting this blog on his behalf. I work in a travel agency and my brother is mortified by the number of dental tourism stories I bring home. I book short holidays for people who seem as though they are going to enjoy some relaxation in an exotic country, only to learn that they plan to have cheap dental procedures. Whilst there are good dentists in developing countries, according to my brother, the complex procedures these people plan to have simply can't be finished in such a limited time. This blog is an attempt to inform you about the high skill levels and advanced technology found in Australian dental surgeries. New techniques are being developed every year and Australian dentists are at the forefront of offering these solutions. I really hope this blog helps you to appreciate our dentists.
