Dr. Huma Mirza, D.D.S.

Yes- it is important to maintain adequate hydration. Just don’t drink using a straw, you don’t want to create any suction in your mouth which will dislodge the blood clot and can lead to a dry socket.

Yes absolutely- there are several levels of sedation that can be used during implants- you can have IV sedation which you are asleep, or nitrous oxide sedation more commonly known as ‘laughing gas’ where you are conscious but more relaxed during the procedure.

Yes it can- there are several reasons why it would hurt. Teeth that have had root canals are more brittle and are more likely to fracture pain could be due to a fracture in the tooth or in the roots of the tooth. Another reason could be reinfection of the canals. These teeth will need to be evaluated by an endodontist.

Yes you should be flossing under your bridge to keep that area clean and the adjacent teeth healthy. There are a few products on the market that helps you to be able to do that- one is a bridge aid- it looks like a small sewing needle that you can thread the floss through and use that to thread the floss under the bridge. Another good product is super floss- you can usually thread that under a bridge to help clean under there. Lastly there’s the waterpik which uses water pressure to clean under the bridge. Good luck!

The chemicals in cigarette smoke causes vasoconstriction (a construction of the blood vessels in your mouth). The decrease in blood flow inhibits the healing process. Smoking following a tooth extraction also increases your risk of a dry socket (a very painful complication which causes delayed healing, a bad odor in your mouth, and difficulty in opening you mouth) the inhalation process causes the blood clot to dislodge which leads to bone exposure and disrupted healing. I recommend not smoking a minimum of 48 hrs after an extraction.