Many of our Addlestone patients exercise on a regular basis which is perhaps unsurprising, as going to the gym, running, swimming and other forms of sports and exercise are now more popular than ever before.
Once a dental implant has been placed and is fully integrated with the bone, there should be no limit on the type of exercise that you do, though you may still want to bear some of the following advice in mind. However, the key three month (approx) period after you have had your implant placed, is a time when you do really need to be careful about what exercise you do, and how you do it. The complex osseointegration process, where the implant bonds with the jawbone, could be severely disrupted and even damage caused to the implant, if you don’t take care and push too hard.
We do recommend that Sync Dental Centres patients who are due to have dental implants placed, try to improve their fitness before the procedure, as improved health and blood flow will help the healing process. This can be as simple as walking a bit further and you don’t really need to go “all out” at the gym. Afterwards though, you do need to take extra care when you exercise as follows:
The first few days
Unless you are a really dedicated fitness enthusiast, you probably won’t feel much like exercising for a few days after your treatment anyway. There is likely to be some residual soreness in the treatment area and you should certainly rest for a couple of days at least, to allow the healing process to get off to a good start. We would suggest that you discuss any restarting of physical exercise with the dentist as each case may be different. As a rule of thumb though, we strongly suggest that you rest as much as you can, at least for a few days.
Starting back
After the first week or so, providing that there are no complications, you can start to think about exercising again. It is important though to ease yourself into this. Even seemingly simple activities such as jogging, can have a detrimental effect on your new implant if you don’t take care.
Below, we look at some common sporting activities and how our Addlestone dental implant patients might want to approach them post procedure.
Running/jogging
You might be ready to pound the streets again, but doing so as enthusiastically as you did before is not such a good idea. Despite it being a no contact activity, the constant jarring as your feet land may cause some minor trauma around the implant site. Whilst this should will affect a fully healed implant; whilst in its early stages of healing this could happen. Start very gently and work your way up.
Football
Any sport that has a high risk of contact should be avoided until the implant is fully healed. In fact, depending on your individual situation, if you play a contact sport regularly, you might prefer to opt for temporary dentures that can be removed until your playing days are over. Even a healthy implant can be severely damaged by a blow from a football, cricket ball or even an elbow. Indeed, more damage can be caused if this happens as an implant is not so easily displaced as a natural tooth. It is all a matter of assessing the risks of course, and where those are minimal, an implant may be perfectly fine.
Weight training
It might seem like weight training, as a no contact activity should be OK for your new implant. In fact, it is a potentially high risk activity, especially if you lift heavy weights. This type of physical activity can put a lot of stress on the body and in particular cause you to clench your teeth together. On a new implant, this could cause severe damage and even implant failure. So please go easy if you do use weights in your training regimen.
Swimming
As long as you are not an ‘aggressive’ and competitive swimmer, swimming is generally a good, gentle activity to get things moving again. There is a low risk if you enjoy this activity although it is always worth keeping an eye open when the pool is busy so that you don’t get knocked by an overly enthusiastic swimmer or even a young child!
Yoga
This is another gentle way to ease yourself back into your exercise and mobility routine after treatment, keeping all the usual observations in mind to keep any risks to your new implant to the absolute minimum. It may not feel quite the same as the sensation of burning lungs when you run, but it can certainly assist with flexibility, better posture and even help you to avoid injuries too.
Ultimately, dental implants are a fantastic way to replace a missing tooth, or teeth, but you do need to take special care during the first few months after their placement to ensure that they bond well with the bone. If you prepare yourself for this, and perhaps plan your gentle return to training in advance; before no time at all, you will be able to return to your usual activity with minimal risk for your new replacement tooth.
For more information about dental implants and their aftercare, please contact the Sync Dental Centres in Addlestone on 01932 856541.