|
Please select
the procedure you had to see a summary of post-op instructions. Call
us if you have any questions:
Before Surgery or
Extractions:
Do not take any aspirin for ten days before the procedure. Eat
before your appointment unless instructed not to. Stock up on soft
foods, especially jello, so that you can enjoy them when you return
home. You will be required to eat a soft diet for 3 weeks post
surgery. The day of surgery go home and rest with the following
instructions. If you are prescribed Valium or other Anxiolytic
Medication, you will need a ride to and from the appointment.
After Surgery or Extractions:
DISCOMFORT: Discomfort is expected and is usually controlled with
pain medication. For daytime, your doctor may recommend 2 extra
strength Tylenol three times a day or 600 mg of Motrin three times a
day depending on your particular needs. In addition, your doctor may
prescribe additional pain medication. If your pain medication is not
adequate, please call us.
SWELLING: Swelling may occur. This should subside within four days,
and be gone within a week. Once way to limit swelling is to apply an
ice pack to the outside of the face for 10-20 minutes at a time for
the first day. Your doctor may or may not recommend this if grafts
were placed, depending on your individual needs. If Motrin is not
contra-indicated, it will assist to reduce swelling. Sleeping with
your head elevated will assist to reduce swelling. Finally, after
the first day, warm moist heat may reduce swelling.
ACTIVITY: Activity should be reduced for the first couple of days
after the procedure. Exercise and sun bathing should be avoided for
a couple of days. No smoking, spitting or drinking out of a straw.
BLEEDING: There may be oozing the first day or so after the
procedure. If there is considerable bleeding use a wet gauze or wet
tea bag directly over the bleeding site, with firm constant pressure
for twenty minutes. If a stent has been provided for you, wearing
the stent as much as possible for the first week will protect the
wound and prevent excessive bleeding.
DRESSING: If a dressing has been applied, it should not be
disturbed. If a small piece of dressing comes off there is no cause
for alarm, however you should not pull/remove the dressing yourself.
If the dressing feels uncomfortable, please give us a call so that
we can help you.
ORAL HYGIENE: Follow your normal oral hygiene routine in all areas
where you have not had surgical treatment. You should avoid any area
that has had treatment until advised by us.
MEDICATION: If you are taking medication, you should continue to do
so, unless otherwise advised by the doctor. If you use hormones for
contraception, and have been prescribed an antibiotic, you should
use a back-up method for that cycle. If prescriptions have been
provided for you for this procedure, take as directed.
NUTRITION: It is important to keep up your nutritional and fluid
requirements, especially after the procedure. Avoid hot, crusty,
acidic, spicy, seedy or sticky foods (including bagels).
Recommendations include: jello, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese
and apple sauce. Later, soft foods that you may find comfortable
eating might include: eggs, pasta, potatoes, soups, cooked
vegetables and casseroles.
NOTE: Ask doctor about the possible side effects of recession, cold
sensitivity, root decay, and increased space between teeth.
As always, feel free to call if you have any need that we can help
you with.
Back to Top
1- You may experience some cold and heat sensitivity (especially
after deep cleaning).
2- If you have received anesthesia do not eat anything until the
numbness has worn off.
3- Continue your regular brushing and flossing.
4- Some bleeding for a day or two after cleaning is normal, but
if you experience any excessive bleeding call our office.
5- Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any
questions.
Back to Top
1- You may experience some discomfort and bleeding the day of the
surgery.
2- Take all the prescribed medications based on given
instructions.
3- Apply an ice bag on your face over the surgical site on the
day of surgery for 10 minutes on and 5 minutes off.
4- Keep your next appointment on time for removal of sutures and
follow up checks.
5- DO NOT raise your lips with your fingers to inspect the
treated area.
6- DO NOT brush teeth near the surgical site. Brush teeth in the
rest of your mouth.
7- There is often a temporary loss of feeling in the operated
area and the tooth may feel loose.
8- Do not smoke, spit or use a straw on the day of the surgery
(avoid smoking for a few days after the surgery).
9- Should any difficulties occur, do not hesitate to
call our office anytime. In case of an
extreme urgency call 911.
Back to Top
You have just had surgery completed for the reduction of
periodontal pocketing and/or for replacement of bone in an area
where pathology existed; or in conjunction with endosseous dental
implant surgical placement with or without platelet addition to the
bone graft. You will be advised of the particular procedure and
pertinent directions relative to your treatment modality. Whether
you were put to sleep for this procedure or were only given local
anesthesia, the post operative directions remain the same.
You will have several sutures (stitches) placed at the surgical
site. These sutures may or may not be resorbable. If you have been
told that you have received external silk sutures they have to be
removed by us. The sutures will cause a pulling of your tissue over
the bone grafting site. Since the bone graft site will have
approximately 15 % more bone fill than what was naturally there, it
is imperative that you do not pull up your lips or cheeks to show or
examine the area. The undue pressure will cause the sutures to widen
away from the surgical site, expose bone, create more pain, and
delay healing dramatically. This delay can lead to the need for the
area to be sutured again when you are seen for your 1 week post
surgical evaluation. The sutures will remain in place for between 14
and 21 days depending on the size of the graft, the severity of the
pathology, and the condition of the tissue being sutured.
Your doctor will tell you what time period to expect. Remember
though that this is not etched in stone, and that the doctor may
extend the time before your sutures are removed to assure adequate
healing and to avoid surgical regression.
You also may have a periodontal pack placed over the surgical
site. The pack is pink in color, impregnated with antibiotic, and
will protect the surgical site form infection and any wash out of
the particulate bone utilized to restore your jaw. The pack should
be left in place for as long as possible. If a pack is placed the
doctor will remove the packing on your 1 week followup and decide if
the packing should be replaced or kept off. Usually the packing is
kept on for 7 to 10 days minimally. You must return to the office if
your pack falls off before you are seen for your 1 week follow up.
Your maintenance during healing has to be completed carefully. You
can brush in every area where the periodontal pack is not placed. It
is imperative that you use NOTHING ASTRINGENT such as mouth wash or
antiseptic solutions during the healing period of your bone
graft. Listerine, Viadent, and any other potentially caustic agent
can RUIN your bone grafting procedure, if contaminated, and require
a replacement bone graft. Doctor and our staff will reiterate this
with you at, during, and after your bone graft surgical procedure.
After the first stages of healing is satisfactory, we will deliver
and instruct you on how to use normal saline (with or without the
addition of salt), and irrigation syringes for cleaning of the
surgical site.
Since bone grows and heals slowly, and requires conditions conducive
to a proper environment and blood supply, it is imperative that
immediately after your bone graft that you alter your diet, as you
would for any Oral Surgical procedure. This means that you should
not eat anything that is too large, too hot, or too sticky. Your
food should be tepid or on the cool side. Any food too hot will have
a deleterious affect on your surgical procedure. Common sense must
be used in determining what should be done or not done. If for some
reason you have a question about anything post surgically, please
call the office and we will inform you of the proper action to take.
Smoking after any Oral Surgical procedure will ALWAYS delay or badly
disrupt normal healing due to a decrease in oxygenation of the
tissue that is healing. Smoking should therefore be stopped for the
first 7 to 10 days to allow for adequate initial tissue
closure. Complete epithilization (closure) and wound healing
normally takes a minimal of 21 days from the day the surgery was
completed under ideal healing conditions and no other underlying
systemic causes such as Diabetes Melitus, etc.
Bone grafting is a very predictable surgical procedure when done
correctly and when patient cooperation is adhered to. Please try to
be reasonable in understanding that this procedure has inherent
risks associated with it as stated in your informed consents. Some
of these risks are also pertinent to your post operative care.
We want nothing more than a perfect outcome with the surgical
procedures that you are having done to rehabilitate your bone. This
can only be attainable with proper cooperation from you. Please
always feel free to communicate with us, at any time, to make sure
that the procedures that you are having completed are properly
maintained. No question is ever perceived by our office as being
silly or unreasonable. We would rather have questions answered
immediately than to have a chance that the procedure will not go as
planned, especially from omissions that are preventable.
Please also remember, as stated above, and as outlined on your
informed consents, that there are some occasions that no matter what
is done that the outcome is not perfect. There are even infrequent
instances when a surgery may have to be redone that are neither the
doctors or the patients fault.
Thank you
Back to Top |