Interesting to hear your experience—I had a similar reaction when I increased the pressure on mine. It was definitely uncomfortable at first, but like you said, after about a week everything settled down nicely. Now I actually prefer the higher setting; it feels cleaner somehow. Did you also find that adjusting the water temperature helped ease the initial tenderness? I noticed lukewarm water made things way more comfortable in the beginning...
Totally agree about the lukewarm water thing—it makes a huge difference, especially when you're first adjusting. I've noticed a lot of my patients initially crank up the pressure thinking it'll clean better (which it does, eventually), but they underestimate how sensitive gums can be at first. I usually recommend starting at a lower setting and gradually working up over a week or two. Seems like you figured that out yourself pretty quickly though.
Funny story: when I first got my own implants, I thought I'd be tough and just jump straight to max pressure—big mistake. Felt like I'd blasted my gums with a firehose, lol. Took me a good few days of gentle rinsing and lukewarm water to get back on track. Lesson learned!
Also, another little tip: if you're still experiencing occasional tenderness or sensitivity, try adding a pinch of salt to warm water for rinsing. It sounds old-school, but honestly, it does wonders for soothing irritated tissue and helping things heal faster. Plus, it's dirt cheap compared to some of the fancy mouthwashes out there.
Glad to hear your implants are still feeling great after 8 years—that's exactly what we aim for in dentistry. Proper care really pays off in the long run...and hey, if it means getting used to lukewarm water and salt rinses now and then, that's not too bad of a trade-off, right?
I wish I'd read this thread sooner... I just got my implants a few days ago, and I've been stressing about the soreness and sensitivity. I definitely made the mistake of going straight to higher pressure, thinking it'd help keep things extra clean. Big nope. I'll try dialing it back and using lukewarm water with salt tonight—hopefully that'll calm things down. Glad to hear from you guys that it gets easier over time.
Totally relate to this—I remember the first week after my implants, I was convinced something was wrong because of all the tenderness. Dialing back the water pressure definitely helped me too, and salt water rinses were a lifesaver. Also, don't underestimate gentle brushing around the area; it feels counterintuitive at first, but it actually promotes healing. Hang in there, it really does get better pretty quickly... you'll probably notice a big difference by next week.
Great tips here, especially about gentle brushing—it's surprising how much that helps with healing. I remember feeling nervous about flossing around the implants at first, worried I'd disrupt something. Took me a while to trust it was safe. Did anyone else find flossing tricky at first, or was it just me being overly cautious? Curious if others switched to interdental brushes or stuck with regular floss...
