Preparing For Your Periodontal Treatment
Congratulations on your journey to having beautiful teeth that look, feel and function their best.
Our goal is to support before, during and after your surgical or nonsurgical procedure. See below for our pre and post-operative instructions and don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.
Post Operative Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOWING ORAL SURGERY
- Keep fingers and tongue away from the tooth socket or operative site. DO NOT SMOKE for 3 days following surgery. Smoking greatly increases the chances of dry socket.
- EATING: Do not rinse your mouth for 24 hours. You may drink lukewarm or cool liquids immediately but do not use a straw. Restrict your diet to soft foods; a regular diet can usually be resumed in 4-5 days.
- ORAL HYGIENE: Providing that no bleeding is evident, oral hygiene should be resumed 24 hours after surgery. Rinsing can be started 24 hours after surgery, with the rinse that is provided. Only use rinse twice daily for no longer than 10 days. Salt water rinses may be used after the 10 days if needed. Avoid brushing near the surgical site for the first four days, then brush very gently to remove debris.
- BLEEDING: It is normal for saliva to be lightly streaked with blood for a few days. If bleeding is present place folded moistened cotton gauze directly against the surgical site and apply firm pressure for 20 minutes. The less frequent the gauze is changed the better. Do not spit out. In an emergency a moistened tea bag may be substituted for the gauze pad. Do not rinse your mouth for 12 hours after the bleeding has stopped. Call the office if excessive bleeding cannot be controlled with above methods.
- SWELLING: Swelling can be expected in certain cases, reaching its maximum in 2 to 3 days, than disappearing in 4 to 5 days. An ice bag or cold compress may be applied to the outside of the face next to surgical site: 20 minutes on and every hour while awake. This helps swelling and relieves some discomfort.
- HEAT: If there has been swelling or bruising you may apply mild heat using a hot water bottle or heating pad. This should be commenced 3 days after surgery.
- PAIN: At the doctor’s discretion a prescription for pain medication will be given. Do not take any other pain medication while taking these tablets unless you have been specifically asked to by the doctor. Do not drink alcohol while on prescription drugs. Some pain medication may cause drowsiness; do not take them if driving or operating heavy machinery or doing anything requiring concentration.
- INFECTION: When antibiotics are prescribed they must be taken as directed. If you experience an adverse reaction such as itching, rash, hives, swelling or difficulty breathing; stop taking the medication and inform our office
- EXERCISE: It is best to avoid exercise and strenuous activity for the first 2-3 days post-operatively, or until you begin to feel up to it. Exercise or strenuous activity will raise your blood pressure and may bring on bleeding during the first 24-48 hours after surgery.
- CONGESTION: When removing upper teeth you may experience nasal or sinus congestion. If this is the case, you must avoid vigorous nose blowing for three days, avoid drinking with a straw, and phone the office for a decongestant.
- BONE GRAFT: It is normal for bone chips to become loose after a bone graft has been placed in the socket. These are not harmful to swallow. Contact the office if there is an excessive amount of bone chips that are coming from the site.
Preparing for Sedation
Our experience has shown that the use of mild Oral or I.V. tranquilizing agents in conjunction with analgesics helps our patients enjoy a very easy postoperative period. The potential for swelling and bruising is greatly diminished when our patients are completely relaxed and muscle tension is reduced. The quantity of medication prescribed is based upon your body weight and the length of time needed to perform your treatment.
Pre-Operative Instructions for Sedation
**PLEASE BRING A LIST OF CURRENT MEDICATIONS AND DOSAGES**
*Please try and refrain from wearing any nail polish the day of the procedure*
ORAL SEDATION: If you are being seen with the use of ORAL SEDATION, we require you to be present in the office ONE HOUR before your appointed time so that we can provide you with the medication. It is also important that you Do Not eat or drink for at least 4 hours before your treatment.
I.V. SEDATION: If you are being seen with the use of I.V. SEDATION, we request that you Do Not eat or drink for at least 6 hours before your treatment, not even water. Please wear loose comfortable clothing and short sleeves are best.
**If taking your medication falls in this time, please take it after the treatment**
TRANSPORTATION: Someone must be available to drive you home after the procedure. While you will be fully conscious at all times, your state of relaxation may impair your reflex time and you will not be allowed to leave without assistance. It is not safe for you to travel home alone or by public transportation or in a taxi/Uber alone.
Post-Operative Instructions for Sedation
You have just been administered sedative medications for your dental procedure. There are some precautions to be aware of over the next 24 hours:
- We strongly recommend that you do not consume alcoholic beverages or take any medications that we are unaware of. This period should be longer if drowsiness or dizziness persists.
- Do not feel alarmed if you are sluggish or disoriented for one or two days after the procedure. This is quite reasonable and expected.
- You must not drive a vehicle or operate hazardous machinery.
- You should not smoke as the sedation may make you fall asleep while smoking.
Sinus Elevation
Swelling: In some cases, puffiness and swelling may result and should not cause alarm. This may be kept to a minimum by holding an ice bag on the outside of your face, near the surgical area for the first 48 hours after your visit. Leave the ice on for 30 minutes, then off for 30 minutes.
Bleeding: It is normal for saliva to be streaked with blood. In order to stop bleeding place a moist piece of gauze or cold, wet, squeezed teabag over the surgical site and bite down gently for 20 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Keep fingers and tongue away from the surgical site. In the weeks following your surgery, you may experience some red tinged post nasal phlegm. This is a normal healing process.
Rinses: Do not rinse your mouth until the following day. On the morning following surgery, rinse your mouth thoroughly with Peridex, Listerine, or warm salt water (1/2 tsp salt added to 6 oz warm water). If food is getting caught, you may rinse after each meal if needed.
Dentures: Dentures should NOT be worn until the denture has been relined or adjusted. Insertion of dentures too early may jeopardize a successful healing process.
Diet: To prevent inadvertent food particles from contaminating or injuring the surgical site, you should only consume softer foods during the first 1-2 weeks. Some examples are chicken, fish, pasta, rice. Nothing too hard or crunchy. Smoking and consumption of alcohol should be avoided during the first 2 weeks.
Sleeping: Keep your head elevated with 2 pillows while sleeping.
Precautions:
- Sneeze with your mouth open for the next 2-4 weeks.
- Wipe your nose or “sniff”. DO NOT blow your nose for the next 2 weeks.
- Take your medications as prescribed. If you experience nasal congestion, use your favourite over-the-counter nasal decongestant.