After Treatment
General Post-Operative Instructions
Crowns
Eating and Drinking
Please avoid chewing until the numbness has worn off completely. If you are hungry you can drink a milkshake. While you have your temporary crown avoid sticky, chewy foods and hard foods or ice that could pull off the temporary crown or cause it to break. When eating or drinking, you may notice an increased sensitivity to hot and cold. This is a normal response to the tooth being prepared for a permanent crown.
Brushing and Flossing
Continue with your normal home care routine. This should consist of brushing in the morning after breakfast, as well as flossing and brushing before bed. The first few days, be extremely gentle when brushing the gums around the tooth. Remember to pull the floss through the teeth on both sides of the temporary crown rather than pull the floss back up, so as not to pull off the temporary crown.
Home Care
Your gums may be tender after the procedure. We recommend warm salt water rinse the day of and the day after your treatment. Mix 1/8 teaspoon of salt in an eight-ounce glass of warm water (make the water as warm as you can stand). Rinse thoroughly and spit, repeating the process until you finish all the water. Remember to gently brush the gum around the tooth. If the temporary crown should become loose you can call the office to have it re-cemented. As a temporary fix you can clean out the crown, fill with denture adhesive and place back over the tooth, biting on it for one (1) minute. This works very well, and may help you avoid needing an office visit.
Calling Our Office
Tooth and gum sensitivity are common side effects following preparation for a crown. If the sensitivity worsens or continues past three to four days, please call our office for a complimentary healing check. If your bite feels strange or uneven, please call us for a complimentary bite adjustment. It is very important that your bite be normal.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at (706) 796-6269.
Periodontal
Eating and Drinking
Avoid chewing solid food until the numbness has completely worn off. If you are hungry, you may drink a milkshake or other liquid. You may notice sensitivity to cold liquids. This is a normal response to the gum treatment and should ease up within seven to ten days.
Brushing and Flossing
You should have received specific home care instructions to help speed the healing process and help you maintain your gums and bone once therapy is complete. If you have any questions concerning your home care, please speak with one of our therapists. Your home care is most important in maintaining good oral health.
Post Treatment Discomfort
The most common post-treatment discomfort is tender gums. For the first few days, use a warm saltwater rinse of 1/8 teaspoon of salt in an 8-ounce glass of water (as warm as you can stand). Do this as often as you like, but especially after eating. Gentle brushing and cleaning between the teeth will also help.
Another post-treatment side effect is sensitive teeth. You may have been given Sensodyne toothpaste or a prescription for Prevident 5000+. Begin using these products immediately, and pay close attention to the instructions for maximum benefit. Motrin and Tylenol will also help any discomfort. Take according to directions. There should not be prescription medication unless you have undergone periodontal surgery.
Calling Our Office
Any discomfort that lasts more than four to five days or that gets worse should be reported to our office. Please call us at (706) 796-6269.
What’s Next
Once your periodontal therapy is complete we can begin the next phase of treatment. Our office will place you on active periodontal maintenance recall to ensure that your teeth, bone and gums remain healthy, and to make certain that your home care is the best possible.
Resin Restoration
Eating and Drinking
Please avoid chewing solid food until the numbness has worn off completely. If you are hungry you can drink a milkshake or other liquid. You may notice quick sensitivity to hot and cold when eating or drinking. This is a normal response to the new filling. Avoid eating ice or popcorn kernels as they can cause a filled tooth to fracture. Also avoid using your front teeth as tools. Do not bite anything but food with your teeth. Avoid sipping power drinks and colas as the acid in these drinks can cause the resin fillings to break down. Also avoid excessive intake of food and drink that cause staining, such as coffee, tea, brown colas, red wines, and chocolate.
Brushing and Flossing
Continue with your normal home care routine. Brush in the morning after breakfast, and floss and brush before going to bed.
Calling Our Office
Tooth sensitivity is a common side effect following the placement of a tooth-colored resin restoration. If the sensitivity worsens or continues beyond two weeks, please contact our office for a complimentary healing check. If your bite feels strange or uneven please call our office for a complimentary bite adjustment appointment. It is very important that your bite be normal. If you have any other questions or concerns, please us at (706) 796-6269.
Root Canal
Your root canal therapy has been successfully completed. Please follow these instructions to help the healing process and protect your tooth.
Eating and Drinking
Do not attempt to eat solid food until the numbness is completely gone. If you are hungry have a milkshake or other liquid. After the numbness is gone it is a good idea to avoid hard foods on the treated tooth until receiving the permanent crown.
Brushing and Flossing
Continue with normal home care routine. Brush in the morning after breakfast, and floss and brush before bed.
Post Treatment Discomfort
Root canal therapy generally involves only minor discomfort. For best results, take Ibuprofen or Tylenol before the numbness has worn off. You can take alternating doses should you need more pain control. Take Ibuprofen first, then 2 hours later take Tylenol followed by a second dose of Ibuprofen in 2 hours, then Tylenol 2 hours later. This regimen is effective in controlling pain and discomfort without the use of a narcotic. If you have been prescribed a narcotic for pain control, you must take the first dose before the numbness wears off.
If you have been prescribed an antibiotic, continue to take them as directed until all the medication is gone. Even if the symptoms of infection are gone there will be residual infection deep in the tissue that must be eliminated.
Calling Our Office
Any discomfort that does not get better within four to five days or that gets worse should be reported to our office. Your bite should feel normal. A high or uneven bite needs to be adjusted, and will require only a quick appointment. If you have a temporary filling that comes out or a temporary crown that comes off, it must be replaced as soon as possible. If you have any concerns or questions, please call our office at (706) 796-6269.
What’s Next
Following root canal therapy, we recommend having the tooth crowned at the earliest possible appointment. This will provide solid protection for your tooth against fracture and possible loss.
Silver Amalgam
Eating and Drinking
Please avoid chewing solid food until the numbness has worn off completely. If you are hungry, you can drink a milkshake or other liquid. You may notice a quick sensitivity to hot and cold when eating or drinking. This is a normal response to the new filling. You should notice improvement in a few days. Avoid eating ice and popcorn kernels as they can cause a filled tooth to fracture
Brushing and Flossing
Continue with your normal home care routine. Brush in the morning after breakfast, and floss and brush before bed.
Calling Our Office
Tooth sensitivity is a common side effect following the placement of a silver amalgam filling. If the sensitivity worsens or lasts more than two weeks, please contact our office for a complimentary healing check. If your bite feels strange or uneven please call our office for a complimentary bite adjustment appointment. It is very important that your bite be normal. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to call our office at (706) 796-6269.
Extractions
Bleeding
Some bleeding is to be expected. Continue biting on the gauze for at least one hour. After the first hour, change the gauze every hour. If bleeding continues beyond two hours, moisten a plain tea bag with water and bite firmly for one hour. Do not use herbal tea bags. If bleeding does not stop within four hours, please call the office at (706) 796-6269.
Swelling
Swelling of the jaws is to be expected. Apply an ice pack on the affected area for 20 minutes, then off for 20 minutes. Ice pack therapy is to be used only in the first eight hours following surgery. Ice pack therapy will greatly reduce the amount of swelling and pain that you will experience following the extraction.
Pain
You may have been given a prescription. If not, you may take Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Refer to label instruction. If pain flares back up in one or two days after the extraction, please call the office. You may be experiencing a dry socket, and may need additional care.
Diet
During the first day we recommend a soft diet, including mashed potatoes, soup, milk shakes, and instant breakfast drinks.
Infection
Most abscesses will clear up without antibiotics. If swelling increases after the second day, please call the office. The sooner a possible infection is treated, the quicker you will have a healthy response to the therapy.
*Do Not*
Do NOT smoke the first two days following your extraction. Do NOT chew tobacco or dip snuff for at least one week. Smoking is our number one cause of a dry socket. During the first 24 hours drink extra fluids. After the first 24 hours, rinse mouth gently after each meal and before bedtime with warm saltwater rinse. Mix 1/8 tsp of salt in 8 oz glass of warm water. Brush your teeth normally, brushing gently over the extraction site. Recommended drinks include: tea, milk, coffee, kool-aid, and juices. Do NOT use a straw. No carbonated beverages. No swishing or spitting as this can destroy the blood clot, and set-up a dry socket complication.