Postoperative Instructions
After you have had a procedure in our office, our team will provide you with postoperative instructions; however, we understand things get misplaced or accidently thrown away or recycled. So, we created a central hub for patients and their families to quickly find postoperative instructions for any of the procedures we provide.
Quick links
Use the links below to jump to the post operative and treatment instructions you need.
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.
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.
Root Canal Treatment
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.
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.
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.
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.
You may experience loss of sensation at the surgical site, and nearby teeth may feel loose for a while.
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.
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 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, milkshakes, fruit juice, and yogurt, for 2-3 days.
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.
Denture Care & Maintenance
Careful daily removal of all bacteria present in both your mouth and on your complete denture is very important to reduce irritation from your denture and it helps contribute to good oral and general health.
In order to reduce levels of plaque and potentially harmful bacteria and fungus patients who wear dentures should do the following:
- Dentures should be cleaned daily by soaking & brushing with an effective, nonabrasive denture cleaner
- Denture cleansers should only be used to clean dentures outside of the mouth
- Dentures should always be rinsed thoroughly after they are soaked & brushed with denture cleansing solutions prior to reinsertion into mouth. All product recommendations should be followed.
Dentures should be cleaned annually by a dentist or dental professional using ultrasonic cleaners to minimize bacteria accumulation over time.
Dentures should never be put in boiling water.
Dentures should not be soaked in any product containing bleach for periods over 10 minutes. Any period of soaking longer than this can cause damage to the dentures.
Dentures should be stored immersed in water after cleaning, when not in the mouth in order to prevent warping.
Denture adhesives when used properly can improve retention and stability of dentures and help seal out accumulation of food particles under the dentures even when the dentures are well fitting.
In a quality of life study patient ratings showed that denture adhesives may improve the dentures wearers perception of retention, stability and quality of life, despite this denture adhesives may not improve chewing function.
Evidence showing the effects of denture adhesive on oral tissues for periods over 6 months is lacking. Long term use of denture adhesive should not be considered without periodic assessment of denture quality and health of supporting tissues by a dentist.
Improper use of zinc containing denture adhesives may have adverse systemic effects. Therefore, as a precaution zinc containing adhesives should be avoided. This can be avoided by reading the ingredients on the back of the denture adhesive product before purchase.
Denture adhesive should only be used in proper quantities, 3-4 pea sized dollops on each denture to provide enough added retention and stability.
Denture adhesives should be completely removed from your denture and mouth daily.
If increasing amounts of adhesive are required to achieve retention the patient should see a dentist to evaluate the fit of the dentures.
It is not recommended that dentures be worn for 24 hours in an effort to reduce or minimize irritation caused by dentures.
Patients who wear dentures should be checked annually by the dentist for maintenance of ideal denture fit and function, also to evaluate for oral lesions, general oral health and bone loss.
Carefully following postoperative instructions is key to proper healing.
If you have any questions about postoperative care or concerns about the healing process, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.