Post Operative Instructions
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Crowns and Bridges | Dentures | Extractions | Fillings | Porcelain
Veneers | Scaling and Root Planing
Endodontic Treatment
Crowns and Bridges Post Operative Instructions
You may eat and drink as soon as the numbness wears off.
Temporary
A temporary is a crown or bridge that is placed on the prepared teeth while the final restoration is being made. It protects the exposed dentin so it is not sensitive, prevents food and bacteria from collecting on the prepared teeth, and prevents the tooth from shifting or moving, which can make seating of the final restoration more difficult.
The temporary is placed with temporary cement. Avoid chewing sticky foods.
Use your toothbrush to clean the temporary as you normally do your other teeth. If your temporary comes off between appointments, slip it back on and call our office so that we can recement it for you. Fixodent or a denture adhesive placed inside the crown can help to hold it in place in the interim.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity, especially to cold, is common for a time following treatment. For the first few days avoid extremely hot or cold foods and beverages. It is normal to have discomfort in the gums around the tooth after the anesthesia wears off due to the procedure.
If your gums are tender, rinse with warm salt water, dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz. glass of warm water. An analgesic such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen will help with discomfort.
Final Crown or Bridge
After the final cementation of your restoration, it may take a few days to get used to the new crown or bridge. If your bite feels uneven, please be sure to call our office for an appointment for a simple adjustment.
Dentures Post Operative Instructions
The following suggestions are presented to assist you in learning to use and properly care for your new dentures.
Beginning Period
Most new dentures require a breaking in period before they become comfortable. This length of time varies with each individual patient depending upon their ability, determination, and perseverance to learn how to use them. You must first learn to keep them in place, and then gradually start to use them.
What to Expect
It is normal for you to feel awkward at first with your new dentures. Your saliva will increase. Your appearance has probably undergone a slight change, your speech may seem altered, and you feel certain that your mouth is too full. Time, patience, and some training will soon bring about a relaxation of the facial muscles and begin to alleviate some of the apparent problems.
Looseness
If you have had teeth removed immediately prior to placement of the denture, it may feel loose, due mainly to the gum shrinkage that occurs as the gums heal. Complete healing of the gums and the underlying bone takes 3-6 months and some cases even longer. During this period a temporary liner may be placed inside the denture to keep it relatively snug. Denture adhesives will also help in this regard. Simply closing your teeth together and swallowing will help to seat the dentures by removing air and saliva from the interface.
Sore Spots
Soreness from uneven pressure on the gums may develop at any time, and is not unusual, especially if you have not worn a denture before. Sore spots are best corrected if the dentures are worn at least 3-6 hours before returning to the office for an adjustment appointment. This can allow a precise detection of the offending areas inside the denture, which are corrected by adjusting the denture with special instruments.
Eating
Start with soft foods or those that are easy to chew. Take small bites and chew slowly. Keep the food distributed evenly on both sides and chew on the back teeth. . If the denture begins to dislodge, biting with the side teeth may be an easier alternative. More difficult foods will require a gradual learning curve. Initially, it is recommended that you avoid chewy, sticky foods.
Speaking
Learning to talk with your new dentures in place requires some patience and perseverance. Reading aloud is a very good way to learn to enunciate distinctly. Careful practice and repetition may help to hasten the process and produce a return to your normal, confident speech.
Mouth and Denture Hygiene
It is extremely important to clean your dentures with a soft brush and an enzymatic or special cleaning solution like Efferdent. Because foods and bacteria will stick to the soft tissues of your mouth, it is also beneficial to brush the roof of your mouth and your tongue daily. Massaging and stimulating these tissues will reduce the incidence of inflammation and sore spots. Use a cleaning paste for these soft tissues after each meal. Food particles that are trapped under the denture can cause inflammation of the gums and sore spots. You should remove your dentures for at least 6 hours daily, usually when going to bed at night, to give your gum tissues a rest. During this time, the dentures can be cleansed and placed in a cup of water to prevent them from drying out, which can cause the dentures to distort and not fit well.
If your dentures were placed over new extraction sites (immediate dentures), you may wear the dentures at night for the first 3 days. This will help to promote clotting, and prevent irritations to those sites. You may then resume the directions previously described and remove the dentures when sleeping.
Be sure to have your dentures checked at least once annually as changes in the mouth, such as bone loss, and a wearing of the teeth will inevitably occur.
Extractions Post Operative Instructions
You may eat and drink as soon as the numbness wears off.
• The initial healing period usually takes one to two weeks, and you'll likely experience some swelling and stiffness for the first forty-eight hours. This is normal and should not cause alarm. Apply cold towels or ice bag for 15 minutes of each hour as needed.
• Avoid chewing for two hours following surgery, or until the numbness has completely worn off. Some discomfort after the extraction is normal.
• Be sure to take any antibiotic medication prescribed for you as it will help the area to heal. An analgesic may also be recommended for your comfort and can be taken as directed.
• To avoid nausea, do not take pain medication on an empty stomach.
• You can also decrease pain and swelling by applying an ice pack 15 minutes on, 15 off for the first six hours following the tooth extraction(s).
• A blood clot will form on the extraction site, and this clot is vital to the healing process. To keep the clot intact, avoid touching the extraction site with your tongue or fingers, do not drink liquids through a straw, and do not spit or swish vigorously.
• Blowing your nose or sneezing violently can also dislodge the blood clot and impair healing, so if you have an upper respiratory infection or suffer from allergies, be sure to have the appropriate sinus medication on hand.
• Do not rinse your mouth the day of the surgery. Smoking, or allowing food particles to pack into the tooth's socket, should be avoided, as both will significantly affect the healing process.
• Twenty-four hours following the procedure, you can rinse gently with warm saltwater solution. (Dissolve one teaspoon of salt with one cup of warm water. Gently swish the solution around the affected area, and spit carefully.) You should do this two to three times each day for the week following the extraction.
• Relax as much as possible and avoid all strenuous activities for the first twenty-four hours following surgery.
• Once the numbness has worn off, you should eat, as nourishment is important to the healing process. Limit your diet to soft foods like yogurt, soft soups, ice cream, or soft-cooked eggs for the first forty-eight hours, and drink at least eight large glasses of water or fruit juice each day.
• Keep your head elevated with pillows to control bleeding. It is normal for the saliva to be slightly streaked with blood for about 1-2days. If abnormal bleeding occurs, We will give you a supply of gauze sponges; place a piece of moist gauze over the extraction site and bite down for 30-45 minutes.
• Be sure to call our office if bleeding persists or increases.
• The space left by the tooth will feel a bit strange to you at first. Eventually, new bone and gum tissue will grow into the gap left by the extraction.
Fillings Post Operative Instructions
You may eat and drink as soon as the numbness wears off.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity, especially to cold, is common for a time following treatment. For the first few days avoid extremely hot or cold foods and beverages. It is normal to have discomfort in the gums around the tooth after the anesthesia wears off due to the procedure. If your gums are tender, rinse with warm salt water, dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz. glass of warm water. An analgesic such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen will help to increase your comfort.
The New Restoration
After the placement of your new restoration, it may take a few days to get used to it. If your bite feels uneven, please be sure to call our office for an appointment for a simple adjustment.
Home Care
It is important to resume regular brushing and flossing. Decrease sugar intake which will increase the longevity of your new restoration.
Porcelain Veneers Post Operative Instructions
You may eat and drink as soon as the numbness wears off.
Temporary
A temporary is an acrylic or composite veneer that is placed on the prepared teeth for protection during the time the permanent porcelain veneers are constructed in the lab. The temporary serves several important purposes: it protects the exposed dentin to minimize sensitivity, prevents the tooth from shifting, and last but not least, restores tooth contour and appearance.
If your temporary comes off between appointments, slip it back on and call our office so that we can recement it for you. A small amount of Fixodent or a denture adhesive placed inside the veneer can help to hold it in place in the interim.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity, especially to cold, is common for a time following treatment. For the first few days avoid extremely hot or cold foods and beverages. If your gums were recontoured during treatment they may be tender after the anesthesia wears off. Rinsing with warm salt water by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of salt in 8 oz. of warm water will help. An analgesic such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen will also increase your level of comfort.
Your New Smile
After the cementation of your porcelain veneers, it may take a few days to get used to the new veneers. Your bite and the way your teeth come together may feel different especially if we changed the length, shape and/or thickness of your teeth. If your bite feels uneven, please be sure to call our office for an appointment to make an adjustment.
Home Care
To maintain the veneers and your new smile, it is important to remember that the underlying teeth are still vulnerable to decay, especially at the gumline where the tooth and veneer meet. It is important to resume regular brushing and flossing. Decrease your intake of sugar-containing foods, which will increase the longevity of your new restorations.
Scaling and Root Planing Post Operative Instructions
Scaling and root planing therapy is a procedure that involves removing bacterial plaque and calculus from the root surface below the gumline with hand instruments and ultrasonic. It may also require removal of diseased tissue within the pocket with a laser.
Things to Avoid for the First 24 Hours
- Vigorous physical exercise, but you may return to work
- Drinking through a straw or sucking motions
- Do not smoke. It's better to refrain for 48-72 hours.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages will retard the healing process
- Foods that are extreme in temperature or spicy
- Avoid using any strong mouthwashes that contain alcohol
What to Do
- You may take a non-aspirin analgesic to relieve any tenderness or discomfort, such as ibuprofen (Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- Eat a well balanced soft diet for today. You may chew on the opposite side of the treated area until it is comfortable to chew normally.
- Rinse with a warm salt water rinse, a teaspoon in an 8 oz. glass of water, 3 times a day.
- Brush your teeth very lightly in the treated area the first night. Then begin flossing lightly as well the next day, gradually increasing to normal force by the week's end.
- After flossing and brushing, rinse with chlorhexidine gluconate (Peridex), if it was prescribed, for at least 30 seconds.
- If you have any questions or problems, please call our office.
Post Endodontic Treatment Instructions
• You may eat and drink as soon as the numbness wears off. There are no dietary restraints, however do not bite or chew on your endodontically treated tooth until the final restoration, usually a crown, has been placed. Continue brushing and cleaning your tooth as usual.
• A delay in permanently restoring your tooth increases the chance of fracture and/or reinfection of the root canal due to leakage. This can result in the need for retreatment, surgery, or extraction.
• Expect your tooth to be sore to touch or pressure. Usually, after 1 week, these symptoms will begin to subside. Anti-inflammatory medications (Ibuprofen) will help diminish and shorten these symptoms.
• We recommend over-the-counter Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, Nuprin, etc.) to prevent or alleviate any discomfort. Minimal dosage: 3 tablets (600mg) 3 times per day. It is strongly recommended to take the medicine even in the absence of symptoms for the initial 3 days following treatment.
• In the event that you are prohibited from taking Ibuprofen, please take Tylenol Extra Strength, 2 tablets (1,000mg) 3 times per day.
• For moderate discomfort, take Ibuprofen. Maximum dosage: 4 tablets(800mg) every 6 hours.
• For moderate-severe discomfort, you may alternate between 4 tablets (800mg) of Ibuprofen and 2 tablets (1,000mg) of Extra Strength Tylenol, taking one or the other every 3 hours.
• If you should experience discomfort which is not alleviated by the medicines mentioned above, swelling, fever, itching or hives please contact the office.
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