The Oral Care Library was created to assist
with patient care and education following dental procedures. It is
not intended to be used in the place of professional dental care. If
you are experience an unusual amount of pain or have other concerns,
please contact your dental care provider immediately.
Home
Care Following an Implant
Home Care Following an Extraction
Home Care Following Periodontal Surgery
Home Care Following Dry Socket
Home Care Following Amalgam Fillings
Home Care Following a White Filling
Home Care Following a Temporary Crown or Bridge
Home Care Following a Cosmetic Procedure
Home Care Following a Root Canal
1.
Home
Care Following an Implant
Before your implant surgery you will receive an anesthetic. This
will leave your mouth numb for several hours after your surgery.
Do not eat or drink until the numbness wears off completely.
Beginning the day before your surgery, an antibiotic will be given to
you. Continue this antibiotic for the indicated length of time
following your surgery. An oral antibiotic rinse will be given
to you before and after the surgery. Please follow the
instructions for the time length.
If IV sedation or general anesthesia is used, do not eat or drink
anything after midnight of the day preceding your surgery. The
day of your surgery use the oral antibiotic rinse and your antibiotic
with a small sip of water.
After surgery you will be instructed to bite firmly and gently on a
moist gauze pad to help stop the bleeding. You will be given
several gauze pads to take home and should change the pad as necessary
until the bleeding stops completely. If bleeding does not stop
or increases, please call us.
You will experience some discomfort following your surgery. If need
be, we can prescribe a mild pain reliever. Also, applying an ice
pack, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, for the first six hours after
surgery will help relieve pain and swelling. Use the ice pack
for no more than 72 hours, then apply moist heat.
For the 24-28 hours following surgery, keep your head elevated and
avoid all strenuous activities for at least two days to help minimize
swelling and bleeding.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water or fruit juice each day and eat only
soft foods such as yogurt, soup, pudding, and soft-cooked eggs for at
least the first week following surgery.
Carefully rinse your mouth, three or four times a day, with a warm
salt water solution for the week following the surgery. (one
teaspoon salt in one cup warm water.)
Leave out dentures or partial dentures that cover the implant site for
at least one week following surgery. A soft reline can be
created after the healing is done so you can wear your dentures
comfortably.
You may experience some soreness as the jawbone grows over the
titanium post for several weeks following your surgery. An over
the counter pain reliever (ibuprofen) will ease the pain.
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2. Home Care Following an Extraction
You will experience some
swelling for 24 hours after the extraction. Expect one to two weeks of
recovery time.
Before your extraction,
you will receive an anesthetic. This will leave your mouth numb for
several hours after your surgery. Do not eat or drink until the
numbness wears off completely.
An over-the-counter pain
reliever, such as ibuprofen, will ease your discomfort. If this does
not help, call for a prescription.
An ice pack, on for 20
minutes and off for 20 minutes, for the first six hours after the
extraction will also help relieve discomfort and swelling.
A blood clot will form at
the site of the extraction, which is vital to the healing process. Do
not touch the clot with your tongue or fingers, drink liquids through
a straw, spit vigorously, or smoke. Where as the blood clot may become
dislodge and slow the healing process. Also, sneezing or blowing your
nose could dislodge the clot.
Do not rinse your mouth
the day of the extraction. After 24 hours you may rinse gently with
mouthwash or a salt and warm water mixture. Be sure to spit carefully.
Rinse 2-3 times a day for a week after the extraction.
Take the prescribed
antibiotics for the indicated length of time.
Avoid strenuous activities
for at least 24 hours after your surgery.
Drink at least eight
glasses of water or fruit juice each day and eat only soft foods such
as, yogurt, soup, pudding, and soft-cooked eggs for at least 48 hours
following surgery.
Gauze pads will be given
to you to place on the site of the extraction to help control the
bleeding. Change as necessary until the bleeding stops completely.
Keeping your head elevated with pillows while also help control the
bleeding.
Continue to brush and
floss your other teeth as normal.
The site of the extraction
will feel strange for a while. New bone and gum tissue will grow in
and cover the gap left by the extraction.
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3. Home Care Following Periodontal Surgery
Before your surgery, you
will receive an anesthetic. This will leave your mouth numb for
several hours after your surgery. Do not eat or drink until the
numbness wears off completely.
To ease pain and swelling,
apply an ice pack 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, for six hours
following your surgery. Do not touch the area of your gums affected by
the surgery with your tongue or fingers.
Do
not rinse your mouth the day of the surgery. 24 hours after your
surgery, you can gently rinse your mouth with mouthwash or warm salt
water, spitting carefully, three times a day.
You
may experience some discomfort after the surgery, which will be eased
by taking a mild pain medication. If antibiotics are prescribed, take
for the entire length of time.
Refrain
from all strenuous activities for at least 24 hours following
surgery.
For
48 hours following surgery, when the numbness has worn off, eat only
soft food such as, yogurt, soup, ice cream, and soft-cooked eggs.
Drink eight glasses of water or fruit juices a day.
To
control bleeding, elevate your head with pillows. Gauze pads will be
given to place over the site of the surgery to control bleeding.
Change as often as needed. If bleeding persist or increases, call the
office.
Continue
normal cleaning routine in other areas of the mouth at least twice a
day.
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4. Home Care Following Dry Socket
Dry Socket only occurs in
about five percent of tooth extractions. When the blood clot does not
form or comes loose following an extraction, an infection can occur.
The blood clot is the foundation for new bone tissue to grow after the
extraction. If the clot does not form or is damaged, it is a dry
socket.
It may take 3-5 days for
symptoms of the infection to occur after an extraction. Symptoms will
include a constant, severe pain and what feels like an earache. You
will also experience a bad taste in your mouth and bad breath.
To avoid losing your blood
clot there are several preventive measures you can take: Refrain from
smoking, sucking through a straw, forceful spitting, coughing, and
sneezing. You should also avoid carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
Keep fingers and tongue away from the extraction site.
To ease pain and swelling,
apply an ice pack to your jaw, 15-20 minutes on and 30-40 minutes off,
for the first 24 hours following your surgery.
Do not rinse your mouth
the day of the surgery. Beginning the next day, gently rinse with
mouthwash or warm salt water.
If you notice any symptoms
of dry socket, call the office immediately. It will be treated by
rinsing it and packing with a sterile gauze and topical anesthetic
dressing. This will need to be changed, by the dentist, several times
over two weeks.
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5. Home Care Following Amalgam Fillings
Before your surgery, you
will receive an anesthetic. This will leave your mouth numb for
several hours after your surgery. Do not eat or drink until the
numbness wears off completely.
It is normal to experience
sore gums, pressure and sensitivity to heat and cold after receiving
your filling. To ease pain and swelling, rinse your mouth with warm
salt water.
If the discomfort last
longer than one week, call the office.
For 24 hours following
receiving your filling, do not eat hard foods or chew foods on the
tooth that was filled and use the opposite side of your mouth
for eating.
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6. Home Care Following a White Filling
Before your surgery, you
will receive an anesthetic. This will leave your mouth numb for
several hours after your surgery. Do not eat or drink until the
numbness wears off completely.
It is normal to experience
sore gums, pressure and sensitivity to heat and cold after receiving
your filling. To ease pain and swelling, rinse your mouth with warm
salt water.
If the discomfort last
longer than one week, call the office.
Since white filling set
immediately, after the numbness wears off, you may chew normally.
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7. Home Care Following a Temporary Crown or Bridge
While a custom restoration
is being created, you will be fitted with a temporary crown or bridge
to protect your teeth and gums. This will prevent the surrounding
teeth from shifting and changing the fit of the custom
restoration.
You will need to slightly
alter your normal eating and oral hygiene habits to ensure that your
temporary stays in place:
Do not chew gum or eat sticky foods
Chew on the opposite side of your mouth
Carefully brush and floss each day, but pull the floss from the side
and not the top next to the temporary to prevent it from coming
loose.
If you notice any of the
following, call the office immediately:
If the temporary comes
loose
Your bite feel uneven
You experience constant pain
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8. Home Care Following a Cosmetic Procedure
It will take some time to
adjust to your new bite. Here are some steps to take.
It will take several days
for you to adjust the new position of your teeth. If you notice any
high spots, call the office.
For several days following
your procedure you will be sensitive to hot, cold, and pressure. If
this does not subside after several days, call the office.
You may experience some
soreness and swelling in your ums for several days. Rinsing with warm
salt water will help ease the pain and swelling. A mild
over-the-counter pain reliever will also help with the pain.
While you adjust to your
new bite, your speech will be affected slightly and you will notice
and increase in the flow of salvia. This will not last more than a
week.
A custom mouth guard can
be created to protect your new smile during sports.
As with natural teeth,
your new teeth will crack or chip if you eat hard foods or chew on
hard substances.
To ensure that your new
teeth will last try to avoid or minimize the following: use of
tobacco, red wine, colas, coffee, and tea and chewing on ice, pencils,
fingernails, or hard candy.
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9. Home Care Following a Root Canal
Before your surgery, you
will receive an anesthetic. This will leave your mouth numb for
several hours after your surgery. Do not eat or drink until the
numbness wears off completely.
While your custom
restoration is being created, a temporary filling or crown will be
placed on the tooth that received the root canal. It is normal
for a small piece to chip off the temporary. To ensure the temporary
stays in place follow these steps:
Do not chew gum or eat
sticky foods
Chew on the opposite side of your mouth
Brush normally; and floss carefully, pulling the floss from the side
and not the top next to the temporary.
After having a root canal,
you will experience some discomfort and sensitivity. If antibiotics
are prescribed, take for the entire period of time indicated. A mild
over-the-counter pain reliever will help ease any discomfort. Rinsing
three times a day with warm salt water will also help ease
discomfort.
After your permanent crown
or filling has been fitted, it should look and feel natural. Brush and
floss as normal.
If you notice any of the
following, please call the office:
Uneven bite Tooth feels
tight
Difficult to floss around
Persistent pain
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