How To Schedule Time Off From Work For Your Dental Implant Surgery

If you work full-time and plan to get dental implants soon, you need to make sure that you schedule the appropriate time off from work before your surgery. In addition, once you return to your duties, you must consider how you plan to care for your dental implant sites on the job. Your dental provider will probably suggest that you take at least one week off from work. It gives your gums time to heal over your dental implants, as well as the implants time to stabilize inside your jawbones. Here are some things to consider before and after your dental implant surgery.

Request Time Off From Work Before You Schedule Your Dental Implant Surgery

Before you schedule your dental implant surgery, meet with your employer and request time off. Although your dental surgery is essential to your oral health, you don't want to make it hard on your employer while you're out. Giving your boss a heads up about your dental surgery can eliminate any confusion about your work schedule later on. It also gives your employer time to find a temporary replacement for your duties.

Since you work full-time or over 40 hours per week, you can tap into your vacation time, personal time off, sick-leave, or other employee benefits you earned on your job. Keep in mind that you may need to work a certain amount of time during the year to qualify for some of these benefits. It's a good idea to check with your job's human resource department to find out what you can or can't use for your surgery time.

Tips to Consider:

  • Inform your boss at least 2-3 weeks in advance about your upcoming surgery.
  • Don't forget to request an additional week off from work. You need this time available to recuperate from your implant surgery.
  • After you employer approves you for time off, contact your dental provider and schedule the surgery.

Once you return to work, you may want to ask for special consideration if you still have pain in your mouth, or need to perform specific oral care on your dental implant sites.

Ask for Special Consideration After Your Surgery

You can still expect to experience some pain or discomfort several weeks after your dental implant procedure. It takes time for the bone tissue in your jaws to accept and grow around the posts of your implants, which the dentist calls osseointegration. In order to cope with your discomfort, ask your employer for special consideration regarding your oral care when you return to work.

For example, you may:

  • Request breaks to rinse your mouth in salt water to help it heal properly, but make sure that the breaks don't interfere with your job's performance or duties
  • Ask for a change in your duties, especially if your job requires you to speak in front of other employees and clients—you want to prevent air from getting into your implant sites because they may still be sensitive to cold sensations
  • Ask to leave early for lunch—you may have tenderness around your implants, which makes it difficult to chew your lunch, so it takes you longer to eat

Never force your requests on your employer or expect him or her grant them. If your boss denies one or more of your special considerations, try the following tips to ease your pain and discomfort instead:

  • Arrive to work early and rinse your mouth with the salt water
  • Keep a bottle of room temperature water on your desk to sip on as you work—the water may ease the inflammation in your gums 
  • Bring soft-textured snacks, such as jello, pudding and mashed potatoes to work—nibble on these in between your duties to help ward off hunger

The above tips may help you get through your workdays better because you won't experience stress or anxiety at work.

If you have any other questions about when and how to schedule time off from work, speak to your employer. Your dental provider may also offer advice on how to do so as well. Check out sites like http://www.dds4smiles.com for more information.


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