he 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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