Post-Operatory Instructions

Tooth Extractions:

For an hour after surgery, you should place pressure on the gauze pad covering the extraction site. If bleeding continues, apply new gauze and continue pressure for an additional 45 minutes.
After surgery, place a cold compress on your face near the extraction site for 10 minutes. Remove for 5 minutes. Repeat.
Do not eat or drink hot foods and beverages after surgery.
Do not rinse your mouth.
Do not use a straw.
Do not spit.
Do not drink carbonated beverages.
Do not brush your teeth on the day of the surgery. Then resume normal home care, gently brushing and flossing.
Bruising, swelling, and pain are normal – particularly if you have had a wisdom tooth extraction. Take your prescribed medication and use a cold compress on your face.
Plan to eat soft foods, such as soups, milk shakes, fruit juice, and yogurt, for 2-3days.
Do not bite your lips, cheeks, or scrape your gums. Children should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t do this. It will damage soft tissues and result in pain.
If you experience excessive bleeding, severe pain or swelling, or if you have questions, please call us.

Dental Fillings

For an hour following your visit, do not chew. Wait until numbness subsides before eating. If you had amalgam fillings placed, do not chew for 24 hours.
Do not bite your lips, cheeks, or scrape your gums. Children should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t do this. It will damage soft tissues and result in pain.
Sensitivity to cold and heat, as well as any soreness, should go away in a few days.

If you have questions or concerns, call our office.

Crown & Bridge, Crowns, Inlays, or Onlays

You will wear temporary restorations until your permanent restoration is made.
If your temporary falls off or breaks, save the pieces and call our office. Do not bite your lips, cheeks, or scrape your gums. Children should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t do this. It will damage soft tissues and result in pain.
Sensitivity to cold and heat, as well as any soreness, should go away in a few days.
Brush gently and floss carefully for the first few days.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you are in pain, call our office.

Root Canal Treatment

Sensitivity should subside after a few days.
Take your prescribed medication as directed.
Because a temporary filling is on the tooth, do not bite hard for one hour after your appointment. Once the permanent filling is in place, chew carefully on the opposite side of your mouth.
Do not bite your lips, cheeks, or scrape your gums. Children should be watched carefully to make sure they don’t do this. It will damage soft tissues and result in pain.
Sensitivity to cold and heat, as well as any soreness, should go away in a few days.
Brush and floss gently.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you experience pain, please call our office.

Deep Teeth Cleaning

Sensitivity to cold and heat will subside.
Do not chew or eat until numbness subsides.
Brush and floss as usual. Your gums may bleed a bit for a few days.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you experience pain, please call our office.

Gum Surgery

Pain, swelling, and bleeding is normal following gum surgery. A cold compress should be placed on your face near the surgical site for 10 minutes at a time, with 5 minutes off, the day of your surgery. This will reduce pain, swelling, and bleeding.
Take your prescribed medications as instructed.
You should keep your appointment for follow-up with your dentist.
Do not raise your lips and probe the area with your fingers.
Do not brush your teeth near the sutures. However, you should brush and floss the rest of your teeth as you normally would.
You may experience loss of sensation at the surgical site, and nearby teeth may feel loose for a while.
Do not spit or use a straw the day of your procedure. Avoid smoking for a few days.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you experience pain, please call our office.

Implant Surgery

Pain, swelling, and bleeding is normal following oral surgery. A cold compress should be placed on your face near the surgical site for 10 minutes at a time, with 5 minutes off, the day of your surgery. This will reduce pain, swelling, and bleeding.
Take your prescribed medications as instructed.
You should keep your appointment for follow-up with your dentist.
Do not raise your lips and probe the area with your fingers.
Do not brush your teeth near the sutures. However, you should brush and floss the rest of your teeth as you normally would.
Do not spit or use a straw the day of your procedure. Avoid smoking for a few days.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you experience pain, please call our office.

Denture Delivery

It is normal to experience some discomfort and speech problems during while getting used to your new dentures. New dentures need several adjustments to fit comfortably. To help with speech, read aloud for a few minutes every day. Your mouth will adjust, and your speech will improve.
Remove your dentures every night to allow your gums to rest. Keep the denture in container of water or denture cleaner.
Thoroughly brush your dentures with water before wearing them.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you experience pain, please call our office.

Veneers

Plastic temporary restorations will serve you for a short period of time while your permanent veneer is being made. They are attached only slightly to the underlying tooth so they can be removed easily.

If a veneer comes off, call us and we will replace it immediately. If you are in a situation that will not allow you to come in, place the temporary back in place with some Fixodent (denture adhesive). You must still see us as soon as possible.

Sensitivity to hot, cold, pressure, or sweets is not uncommon. You may also see stains under the temporaries. These will be removed prior to final cementation.

Avoid heavy brushing of the temporaries and do not floss between them because you may pull them off.

Your final porcelain veneers will be as close to the natural beauty and function of teeth as possible. They look and feel normal in every way.

PERMANENT VENEERS

We place our veneers with the finest materials and techniques available today. However, you should be aware of the following information about your restorations:

As with natural teeth, avoid chewing excessively hard foods on the veneered teeth (hard candy, ice, raw carrots, etc.) because the porcelain material can break under extreme forces.

Proper brushing, flossing, and regular cleanings are essential to the long-term stability and appearance of your veneers. Often, problems that may develop with the veneers can be found at an early stage and repaired easily, while waiting for a longer time may require redoing entire restorations.

Dealing with Dental Emergencies

BEING PREPARED FOR A DENTAL EMERGENCY IS NO ACCIDENT. KNOWING WHAT TO DO CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAVING AND LOSING A TOOTH. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW MINUTES TO LEARN THE BASICS. HERE ARE SOME TIPS...

Knocked out Tooth:

Hold the tooth by the crown, and rinse off the root of the tooth if it's dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If it's possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in its socket. If that isn't possible, put tooth in a cup of milk or salt water and get it to the dentist as quickly as possible. Don't forget to take the tooth with you!

Broken Tooth:

Rinse your mouth with warm water to keep the area clean. Put cold compresses on your face to reduce swelling. Go to the dentist immediately.

Bitten Tongue or Lip:

Clean the area gently with a cloth, and apply cold compresses to keep swelling down. If bleeding doesn't stop, go to a hospital emergency room.

Objects Caught Between Teeth:

Gently try to remove the object with dental floss. If you're not successful, go to the dentist. Do not try to remove the object with a sharp or pointed instrument.

Toothache:

Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it out. Use dental floss to remove any food that may be trapped between tooth. Do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissue. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Possible Broken Jaw:

Do not move the jaw. Secure the jaw by tying a handkerchief, necktie, or towel around the jaw and over the top of the head. If there is swelling, apply cold compresses. Go to your dentist or a hospital emergency room immediately.

If a dental emergency happens while you are traveling...

Look in the Yellow Pages under "dentist" to find the state or local society phone number to get a referral.

Ask the hospital emergency room to recommend a dentist

If you are out of the country, contact the U.S. Embassy or ask hotel personnel to refer you to a dentist.

Patient Self-Care Following Periodontal Surgery

ACTIVITY: After leaving our dental office today, we suggest you consider relaxing or at least limiting your activity as much as possible for the remainder of the day. Avoid strenuous activity and aerobic exercise for the next 3 days.

DISCOMFORT: Some discomfort may be present when the anesthesia wears off, you have been given a prescription for an anti-inflammatory (NSAID) analgesic. This drug will greatly decrease the possibility of post-surgical swelling and pain and has been shown to accelerate healing. After the first 3 days, 2 Tylenol, or 2 Advil taken every 4-6 hours as needed, should keep you comfortable. Should intense discomfort occur at any time after the surgery, please take the narcotic medication (if one has been prescribed for you), as directed, or telephone the doctor and he will phone in a narcotic prescription for you. You may take both the narcotic and NSAID together. Their analgesic effect will be synergistic.

INFECTION: if you have been given an antibiotic please continue taking it, one tablet every 5-6 hours, or three time per day until all of the tablets have been taken. If you notice that after a few days, pain or swelling are increasing or that you are experiencing an elevated temperature please call the doctor.

SWELLING: It is normal for some swelling to occur after surgery, particularly in the lower jaw. To minimize swelling after surgery, apply an ice bag wrapped in a light tea towel or handkerchief to the outside of your face over the operated area. This should be left cm your face for about 5 minutes, then removed for 5 minutes, or alternated from side-to-side, between operated areas, for 2-3 hours after surgery. The use of both ice and the NSAID analgesic as described above will reduce the amount and duration of facial swelling.

BLEEDING: It is common to have slight bleeding for a few hours following periodontal surgery. If bleeding persists, apply a tea bag to the surgical site with firm but gentle pressure for 15-20 minutes. Let yourself rest for 15 minutes then repeat the application of the tea bag for a second time if you still have slight bleeding. If excessive bleeding continues, please call our office. Remember, most of the blood you may see in your mouth is actually a little bit of blood mixed with a lot of saliva - blood is a very strong "dye" and a little bit of blood will color your saliva dramatically.

ORAL HYGIENE: Brushing and oral hygiene procedures should be done as usual in all untreated areas. In exposed operated areas limit your oral hygiene to brushing using a soft bristled toothbrush in areas covered by periodontal dressing, brush only the chewing surfaces of teeth. Avoid dental flossing in operated areas during the first week following surgery. No undiluted mouthwash, salt water or peroxide rinses should be used during the first week following surgery. Also avoid the uses of water irrigation devices such as Water-piks for 1 month following surgery, The exposed operated areas should be gently swabbed with a Q-tip (cotton tipped applicator) saturated with Peridex (Chlorhexidine) as a last oral hygiene procedure at bedtime and again in the morning, after eating and drinking.

EATING AND DRINKING: Do not try to eat until all anesthesia (numbness) has worn off. High protein foods and liquids are desirable for 3-6 days following surgery. Semi-solid foods may be eaten as long as this may be done comfortably. Eggs, custard, yogurt, pasta, steamed vegetables, casseroles, and cooked cereals are sorne things that you might consider eating during the first few days following your surgery. Avoid spicy, salty, acidic, very hot or very cold foods or liquids. Also, avoid nuts, chips or other crunchy or fibrous foods which may become caught between your teeth. Please refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages the day of surgery. The following nutritional supplements have been found to aid in surgical healing. Taking the following dosages for at least 4-6 weeks following your surgery can enhance healing:

Multi-vitamin with minerals (1/day) Vitamin C 1000mg 1/day Vitamin E 400 i.u. (1/day) Calcium (500ms twice/day)

These nutritional supplements are all over the counter (OTC) items and may be purchased at a drug store, health food store or the health food section of many grocery stores.

USE OF REMOVABLE DENTAL APPLIANCES: If you normally wear a removable appliance which replaces missing teeth, and it rests on the operated area, it is best to minimize use of this appliance as any pressure on the surgical site could be detrimental to healing and cause discomfort.

Postoperative Instructions for Periodontal Therapy

Bleeding: Light bleeding may occur following periodontal therapy. If excessive bleeding occurs, apply light pressure with a cold wet tea bag for 5 minutes at a time until the bleeding ceases. Use regular tea, not herbal tea. It contains tannic acid, which constricts blood vessels to stop bleeding.

Discomfort: Over the counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxin sodium (Aleve) tend to work best for mild discomfort. Avoid taking aspirin since this may prolong bleeding. If your general physician prohibits you from taking the recommended pain relievers please consult him/her for an appropriate recommendation. Mild discomfort may last up to several days following the procedure. If discomfort continues, please call our office. You may swish with warm salt water to sooth the gum tissue as needed. Mix1/2 cup warm water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Swish gently for 30 seconds then allow it to pour out of your mouth.

Diet: A softer diet is recommended for the first 24 hours. Do not eat crunchy or hard foods, as this will irritate the gum tissue. If possible, do not eat or drink until the anesthetic has worn off to avoid burning or biting your tongue or cheek.

Oral Hygiene: Gently brush as instructed before bed that evening. Avoid flossing for the first 24 hours. If Arestin has been placed, do not brush or floss the indicated area for 10 days unless instructed otherwise.

Sensitivity: It is common to have tooth sensitivity after periodontal therapy. This is actually a sign of healing. You may have been given a prescription strength fluoride for sensitivity. Use as directed. If you were not given a sensitivity product, and sensitivity does occur, feel free to call the office.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call your provider.

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