After Placement of Dental Implants

Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. There will be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gingival (gum) tissue.

Bleeding

Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding (your mouth fills up rapidly with blood) can be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for 30 minutes. If bleeding continues please call for further instructions.

Swelling

Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice bag, or a plastic bag, or towel filled with ice on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice continuously, as much as possible, for the first 36 hours.

Diet

Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid hot liquids or food. Soft food and liquids should be eaten on the day of surgery. Return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.

Pain

You should begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate pain, 1 or 2 Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol may be taken every 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) may be taken instead of Tylenol. Ibuprofen, bought over the counter comes in 200 mg tablets: 2-3 tablets may be taken every 3-4 hours as needed for pain. For severe pain, the prescribed medication should be taken as directed. Do not take any of the above medication if you are allergic, or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it.

Antibiotics

Be sure to take the prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection.

Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is essential to good healing. The night of surgery, use the prescribed Peridex Oral Rinse before bed. The day after surgery, the Peridex should be used twice daily, after breakfast and before bed. Be sure to rinse for at least 30 seconds then spit it out. Warm salt water rinses (teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) should be used at least 4-5 times a day, as well, especially after meals. Brushing your teeth and the healing abutments is no problem. Be gentle initially with brushing the surgical areas.

Activity

Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. If you are considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this occurs, you should discontinue exercising. Keep in mind that you are probably not taking normal nourishment. This may weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise.

Wearing your Prosthesis

Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures should not be used immediately after surgery and for at least 10 days. This was discussed in the pre-operative consultation.

Root Canal Post Treatment Instructions

The canals inside the root of your tooth have been cleaned, irrigated, medicated and permanently sealed. The opening in the tooth through which the root canal treatment was done has been sealed with a temporary filling.

Delay in obtaining the final restoration (crown) may result in fracture, reinfection and/or possible loss of the tooth.

Discomfort and swelling of the affected side may occur for 3 to 5 days. Tenderness when chewing may persist for up to a few weeks.
Ibuprofen (i.e. Advil, Motrin) 400-800mg every 6 hours usually will provide sufficient pain relief. Be sure to take this with food. Additional medications will be prescribed as needed. If you cannot take Aspirin or Ibuprofen, let us know.
If a localized abscess is present, rinse with warm salt water to promote drainage (dissolve 1 tsp salt in 1 cup warm water).
Antibiotics may be prescribed for infection. All of this medication should be taken as directed unless an allergic reaction develops. If there are signs of an allergic reaction (i.e. rash, itching, unusual swelling), stop taking the medication immediately and call our office. If the reaction is severe (i.e. difficulty breathing), go to the nearest Emergency Room.
NO ALCOHOLIC beverages should be consumed while taking these medications.
During root canal treatment, the nerve, blood supply, and decayed tooth structure are removed. This results in the tooth becoming more prone to fracture. Be gentle with the tooth while eating until the final restoration is placed. Stay away from foods that may break the temporary filling or the tooth (i.e. popcorn kernels, carrots, chips, all hard foods).