Post-Operative Instructions

Dental implants are a permanent solution for missing teeth. They feel and look like natural teeth. These titanium posts are surgically placed into the jawbone and act as tooth roots. An implant can hold a single dental crown, a bridge, or even an entire arch of replacement teeth. With proper care and maintenance, they can last a lifetime.

Since they are implanted into the jaw, dental implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support. They also help prevent bone loss in the jaw by stimulating its health and growth through contact with your living tissue. As a result, patients enjoy renewed oral health and increased self-confidence.

Dental Implants - Post-Operative Instructions

Avoid chewing on the implant for the first couple of days following surgery, as the implant site needs time to heal and stabilize. While any discomfort can be managed with over-the-counter pain medication or prescription painkillers from your oral surgeon, salt water rinses and cold compresses can also help with any mild post-operative swelling that you may experience.

During the first week of recovery, it's important that you continue to eat a soft diet and avoid hard and crunchy foods such as chips, nuts, and seeds. This will encourage healthy bone and tissue growth around your new implants. Once you're fully healed, you'll be able to return to your normal diet and resume eating all of your favorite foods again! Here are the after-care instructions for a dental implant procedure:

• Expect some discomfort and mild pain right after the procedure, which can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications.
• Some swelling is normal but take care not to bite the cheek or lip when chewing food. Apply an ice pack to the affected area for 10 minutes on and 20 minutes off for the next two to three days following the procedure.
• Avoid using straws for a couple of days, as these can dislodge the implant or cause irritation to the surrounding tissue.
• Eat soft foods and avoid hot liquids, as this can cause bleeding. Wait until the numbness wears off before eating solid food.
• After a day or two, rinse the mouth gently with warm salt water after meals and before bed to promote healing.
• Keep the incision site clean by brushing regularly and visiting the dentist for regular cleanings and check-ups.

Dental implants can last for a lifetime, but proper dental hygiene is still important to ensure healthy gums.

Bone grafting is a procedure that replaces missing bone with material from the patient's own body or from a donor. It may be used to repair a defect in the bone caused by congenital diseases or traumatic injuries or for cosmetic reasons.

A bone grafting procedure replaces missing bone in the jaw with healthy, natural bone tissue. This can help to support surrounding teeth and improve both function and appearance. Replacing lost bone can also help prevent your remaining teeth from shifting out of place over time.

Our dentist may recommend a bone graft if you have suffered trauma to the face or have lost teeth due to periodontal disease. This procedure is also often necessary prior to the placement of dental implants. Dental implants require enough bone in the area of placement to successfully support the prosthetic tooth.

Bone Graft - Post-Operative Instructions

After a bone grafting procedure, a patient can expect some swelling for the first few days to a week after the procedure, but this typically subsides fairly quickly. Over the next three to six months following the procedure, the bone will heal and fuse with the surrounding bone. The graft material will then become a permanent part of the patient's jaw structure.

After your graft procedure, there are a few simple steps to follow to ensure proper healing and optimal results.

First, avoid consuming solid foods for the first day. Instead, consume only liquids or pureed foods. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol during the recovery period as well. It's also best to avoid brushing your teeth near the grafting site for several days after a bone-grafting procedure.

After an extraction or oral surgery, it's common for the mouth to be sore for a few days. To ease this discomfort, take acetaminophen or another over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication as directed by the dentist.

If your pain worsens or persists after a few days of at-home treatments, contact our office so we can help you take measures to address your pain. We might also recommend a temporary rinse or a topical anesthetic to alleviate any pain or discomfort you are experiencing.

Finally, refrain from strenuous physical activity for at least a week to two weeks after your bone graft. This will help prevent bleeding at the surgical site. You should also limit yourself to soft foods and beverages after your procedure to minimize irritation to your healing gums.

If you experience swelling in your mouth that lasts more than a few days, contact our dentist's office. While rare, this can be a sign of infection. If it persists for more than a few days, you might need further evaluation.

Tooth extraction, also known as tooth removal, is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the jawbone. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, including tooth decay that has destroyed enough tooth structure to prevent restoration, crowded teeth, impacted teeth, or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.

While the tooth is numb, the dentist will remove any gum tissue that is covering the tooth and then extract it. After the tooth is removed, you may need stitches. Gauze will be applied at the completion of the surgery and our dentist may prescribe pain medication to help with any discomfort after the anesthesia wears off.

Tooth extraction - Post-Operative Instructions

A tooth extraction is performed when a tooth is severely decayed, damaged beyond repair, or crowded in the mouth, making it difficult to perform regular oral hygiene practices. Extraction is also needed if you have a baby tooth that never fell out and is now preventing a permanent tooth from erupting in its place.

Most patients heal quickly from tooth extraction, but you should follow your dentist's post-operative instructions carefully to avoid complications and promote a speedy healing process.

• You may have slight bleeding, swelling, and minor pain after the treatment. If so, you can use a cold compress to help alleviate the pain and swelling.
• If you have stitches, they may dissolve on their own or be removed by your oral surgeon.
• Avoid smoking for a few days following the procedure, as smoking can delay healing.
• Your teeth may be sensitive to hot and cold beverages and food for a few days. This will go away on its own. If it does not go away in a day or two, contact our oral surgeon.
• Eat soft foods and drink plenty of liquids to prevent discomfort.
• Do not brush the areas near the extraction site for the first day or two, as this can increase the risk of dry socket. Instead, rinse your mouth with salt water to keep food particles away.
• Follow our oral surgeon's directions as you heal at home. These will include taking an antibiotic if necessary, keeping the site clean with a clean gauze pad, and applying ice to reduce pain and swelling.
• Call the office if you continue having pain or notice anything abnormal in your mouth. This can include drainage from the extraction site, fever, or severe pain that does not go away. Also call if you have any questions or concerns.
• You may need to come in for a follow-up visit about a week after your procedure to make sure everything looks normal, and healing is on track.

A root canal treatment is a procedure that removes infected or damaged tissue inside the tooth. The pulp, or soft inner tissues of a tooth, can become irritated or inflamed for a variety of reasons, including deep decay, severe gum disease, cracks, chips, fractures, or other trauma to the tooth.

When this happens, the body's natural response is to try to protect the affected area by sending white blood cells to the area to fight the infection. These cells often create painful abscesses or cysts in the gums. In order to remove this damaged pulp and relieve any pain associated with the infection, the tooth will need to be extracted.

However, if the damage is caught early enough, the infection can be cleared, and the affected tooth can be saved with a root canal treatment. During a root canal procedure, the damaged or dead tissue is removed, the interior of the tooth is cleaned and disinfected, and a crown is placed over the tooth to protect it and restore it to full function. If you are in need of a root canal in order to restore your oral health, schedule your appointment with us today!

Root Canal - Post-Operative Instructions

Root canals are one of the most common dental procedures. It is estimated that nearly 15 million root canals are performed each year. When properly performed, the procedure eliminates pain, restores health, and can prevent the need for extraction.

Here are the post-operative instructions for a root canal procedure.

• Your natural instinct is to chew regularly after the root canal, but you should avoid doing so until the anesthesia has worn off completely.
• Try to avoid hard foods and sticky candies like caramel or gum that could dislodge the temporary filling.
• Saltwater rinses are highly recommended after root canal procedures in order to speed up the healing process and prevent further infection.
• Our dentist may likely prescribe antibiotics after your root canal. These pills are necessary to prevent infection, and they also strengthen your immune system while you heal. Take the full course of antibiotics as instructed by our dentist.
• Make sure you attend all follow-up visits after having a root canal. These visits allow our dentist to monitor your progress and ensure that everything is going well with your recovery. If any problems occur, such as an infection, they can be treated quickly to avoid additional pain. When problems are treated early, it may also help minimize the amount of time it takes to fully recover from the procedure.

Periodontal surgery is one of the treatment options for moderate to severe cases of periodontal disease. It is performed when the inflammation in the gums cannot be controlled with non-surgical treatment methods.

Periodontal surgery is a procedure performed to remove the affected tissue around the root of the tooth, treat the infection, and restore the tooth back to its normal function and appearance. Most periodontists prefer to treat periodontal disease with a non-surgical method first. However, some teeth will need to be treated surgically. Our dentist will discuss which treatment option is best for you.

Periodontal Surgery - Post-Operative Instructions

There are many different types of periodontal surgeries and procedures, but the most common include pocket reduction surgery and soft tissue grafting. These treatments are often used when a patient suffers from periodontal disease – the advanced stage of gum disease.

Pocket reduction surgery reduces the size of the pockets between the teeth and gums so that bacteria cannot spread further and cause infection or disease. A local anesthetic is typically used before treatment, so patients feel little to no pain.

Soft tissue grafting is used when the gums are too receded from the teeth. The gum tissue is reshaped to provide a more aesthetic appearance and help the teeth appear longer. In some cases, the underlying bone is also contoured to improve a smile's structure and prevent bone loss over time. Here are the post-operative instructions for periodontal surgeries:

• Maintain good oral hygiene
• Avoid smoking, alcohol, and caffeine consumption for at least three days following your procedure
• Do not spit or rinse for the first 24 hours after surgery
• Eat a soft diet for the first few days of recovery
• Use an ice pack for the first day or two after surgery to reduce swelling
• Take pain medication according to the doctor's instructions
• Exercise caution when brushing around the surgical sites until the area is fully healed
• Do not brush the surgical area for four to five days following the procedure

For more information about what to expect during periodontal surgery treatment, schedule a consultation with our team today!