Post-Op Instructions
General Guidelines For All Procedures:
During dental surgical procedures, the expertise of the dentists makes the procedure a smooth run for the patients. The real task begins post-surgery in following the post-op instructions which are very important for the chain of procedure completion since healing is very important to avoid discomfort, pain, and any bacterial infection attack in the surgical area.
Although there are common instructions given for most dental procedures, few of them need additional post-op care instructions. Read on to know the instructions to be followed for different dental treatments to cure the damages and also to retain the treatment results for the long term.
Instructions Following Crown, Bridge, Inlay/Onlay
These treatments include placement of temporary tooth until the healing time is complete for placement of permanent crown. It is important not to chew any hard and sticky foods during this time and be gentle with brushing and flossing.
After the permanent restoration, for the first 24 hours, the hard and sticky foods should be avoided since the dental cement needs time to bond with the tooth. For a few more weeks there can be sensitivity for temperature-varying foods but it will fade away in a few weeks. Regular brushing and flossing are a must daily. If any of the post-op symptoms persist for more than six weeks then contact the dentist immediately.
Dental Fillings
- Stick to liquid foods and do not chew anything until the effect of anesthesia is completely gone.
- Avoid biting lips and tongue since it may cause the soft tissues to damage to an extent causing injuries.
- For the first 24 hours, avoid chewing foods.
- For 2-3 days there may be the sensitivity of teeth towards cold or hot foods.
Dentures
Dentures usually take multiple adjustments to be done to give a comfortable outcome. It is good to practice reading aloud every day any piece of information to help yourself to learn to talk with the dentures.
It is important to remove dentures for at least 6 hours (overnight) to make sure that the natural teeth and gums get some rest. Dentures should be stored only in the denture cleaning solution every night. Due to the usage of dentures, the gums and teeth gaps may be filled with food particles. On removal of the dentures, it is recommended to lightly brush and floss the mouth area. Brushing after each meal should be a priority to keep the dentures long-lasting.
Deep Cleaning Treatment
- Heat and cold sensitivity are experienced for the first 24 hours.
- Consumption of alcohol and smoking are to be completely avoided for at least 48 hours.
- A little bleeding is part of the deep cleaning treatment but action should be taken if the bleeding is profuse.
- Consumption of hot foods should be restricted until the numbness wears off.
- To help the healing process, salt water rinse thrice a day is beneficial.
- Prescribed medications are to be taken promptly.
- Regular brushing and flossing are to be done once the soreness is completely gone.
Root Canal Therapy
- Avoid any kind of food (solid/liquid) for the first 20 minutes post treatment and also avoid contact of the tongue to the root canal area.
- The procedure may cause swelling and soreness so it is important to take the prescribed medications.
- Cold compress gives relief from the pain and discomfort but the ice should be used with a cloth on it and there should not be direct contact of ice with the skin. For initial 6-8 hours, the ice pack can be used with 20 minutes gap on and off.
- Avoid chewing food in the treated area since the temporary tooth placed after the treatment is vulnerable to fracture which may lead to the failure of treatment. So it is important to consume only soft foods until the permanent tooth is placed.
- Gentle brushing and flossing on regular basis are important for the safety of the treated area.
Dental Extractions
- Post extraction there will be slight bleeding and excess loss of blood can be controlled by biting down the gauze in the extracted area.
- Sutures would be placed to cover the extracted area and they are self-dissolving in 7-8 days. Avoid workouts and lifting heavy objects until the healing period is over.
- Swelling of the face increases 2-3 days after the surgical procedure but it will subside with the medications and cold pack treatment.
- Strenuous activities are to be avoided for a day’s time post-surgery.
- For the initial few days after surgery, consuming soft foods and more liquid foods will be helpful for the healing process and will also avoid any injuries to the surgical area.
InvisalignÂ
- Aligners should be removed while eating, brushing and flossing and also while consuming hot beverages.
- Aligners are to be cleaned regularly with toothpaste and toothbrush.
- Boiling water or warm water should not be consumed with aligners.
- Smoking should be avoided with aligners since the nicotine content in them will stain them.
- For cleaning aligners never use alcohol or denture cleaner or bleach.
Teeth Whitening
For the first 48 hours after bleaching treatment, avoid dark-colored foods such as red wine, coffee, ketchup, tea and dark sauces since dark-colored foods cause stains on the teeth.
Wisdom Tooth Removal
- Post-surgery the bleeding can be brought into control by biting the gauze pad in the surgical area.
- There may be slight dizziness for a few days post-surgery while getting up. So give yourself the required time to settle with it while waking up.
- Rigorous activities are to be strictly avoided for 3-4 days post-surgery.
- After the first 24 hours of surgery, you may notice swelling on the face and surgical area. Apply cold packs for 20 minutes now and then for initial 36 hours. After 36 hours, the cold compression may be less effective so apply heat on the facial area to reduce the swelling.
- Post-surgery for 48 hours, avoid using straws, drinking from a bottle, smoking and also spitting. Avoid alcoholic and carbonated beverages and also spicy and hot foods.
- There can be temporary numbness in the tongue, chin, and lip for a few days. It is natural to have numbness post-surgery and it will return to normalcy in a few days.
- When a blood clot is prematurely dislodged from the tooth socket it can develop into a dry socket. The dry socket shows symptoms such as throbbing pain in the jaw, adjacent tooth, chin, and ear, and even in the surgical area.
- Avoid brushing teeth near the surgical area and brush and floss properly in the rest of the teeth area.
- You may experience sensitivity towards hot and cold foods for a few days and also avoid hot and spicy foods.
- Restrict yourself from doing any activities on the day of surgery. Resuming activities can be done from the next day.
- During the initial days post-surgery it is important to follow a liquid diet such as soups, smoothies, juice, and yoghurt.
- Saltwater rinses thrice a day will be very helpful for the healing process.
- If there is excessive bleeding or discomfort even after 48-72 hours then contact the dentist immediately.