AFTER CROWN AND BRIDGE APPOINTMENTS Crowns and bridges usually take two or three appointments to complete. On the first appointment, the teeth are prepared. Temporary crowns or bridges are placed to protect the teeth while the custom restoration is being made. After each appointment when anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. On rare occasions, temporary crowns come off. Call us if this happens and keep the temporary so we can re-cement it. It is very important for the proper fit of your final restoration that temporaries stay in place. It’s normal to experience some hot, cold, and pressure sensitivity after each appointment. Your gums may be sore for several days. Rinse three times a day with warm salt water (a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, rinse-swish-spit) to reduce pain and swelling. Use medication only as directed. To help keep your temporary in place, avoid eating sticky foods (especially gum), hard foods, and if possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth. It’s important to continue to brush normally, but floss very carefully and remove the floss sideways to prevent removal of the temporary crown. If your bite feels uneven, if you have persistent pain, or if you have any other questions or concerns, please call our office. AFTER GUM SURGERY After your gum surgery, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. Don’t eat anything for two hours following surgery. It’s normal to experience some discomfort for several days after surgery. To control discomfort, take pain medication as recommended. Do not take medication on an empty stomach or nausea may result. Apply an ice pack (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) for six hours following surgery to decrease pain and swelling. After twenty-four hours, to further reduce pain and swelling, rinse three times a day with warm salt water (put a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, gently rinse-swish-spit). If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. Some slight bleeding is normal for a day or so following surgery. If bleeding persists, apply firm pressure with a moist gauze pad or bite on a tea bag for twenty minutes. Elevate your head with pillows. Call our office if this doesn’t control bleeding or if bleeding increases. For the first 48 hours, restrict your diet to soft foods such as yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, and soups until you can chew comfortably. Relax as much as possible and avoid all strenuous activities for the first twenty-four hours following surgery. Continue your normal homecare routine in the non-treated areas. You may gently rinse around the treated area with warm water or mouthwash, but frequent or vigorous rinsing must be avoided until healing has taken place. Call us if pain or swelling persists or if you have any questions or concerns. AFTER ROOT CANAL THERAPY Root canal therapy often takes two or more appointments to complete. A temporary filling or crown is placed to protect the tooth between appointments. After each appointment when anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. Between appointments, it is common (and not a problem) for a small portion of your temporary filling to wear away or break off. If the entire filling falls out, or if a temporary crown comes off, call us so that it can be replaced. It’s normal to experience some discomfort for several days after a root canal appointment, especially when chewing. To control discomfort, take pain medication as recommended. To further reduce pain and swelling. rinse three times a day with warm salt water (a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, rinse-swish-spit). If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them as prescribed, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. To protect the tooth and help keep you temporary in place, avoid eating sticky foods (especially gum), hard foods, and if possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth. It’s important to continue to brush and floss normally. Usually, the last step after root canal treatment is the placement of a crown on the tooth. A crown covers and protects the tooth from breaking in the future. If your bite feels uneven, if you have persistent swelling or pain, or you have any other questions or concerns, please call our office. AFTER TOOTH EXTRACTION After an extraction, it’s important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. That’s why we ask you to bite on a gauze pad for 30 to 45 minutes after the extraction. If bleeding or oozing continues after you remove the gauze pad, place another gauze pad and bite firmly for another thirty minutes. You may have to do this several times. After the blood clot forms, it is important to protect it, especially for the next 24 hours. So Don’t: smoke, suck through a straw, rinse your mouth vigorously, or clean the teeth next to the extraction site. These activities will dislodge the clot and slow down healing. Limit yourself to calm activities for the first 24 hours. This keeps your blood pressure lower, reduces bleeding and helps the healing process. After the tooth is extracted, you may feel some pain and have some swelling. You can use an ice bag to keep this to a minimum. The swelling usually starts to go down after 48 hours. Use pain medication only as directed, call the office if it doesn’t seem to be working. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. Drink lots of fluids and eat only soft nutritious foods on the day of the extraction. Don’t use alcoholic beverages and avoid hot and spicy foods. You can begin eating normally the next day or as soon as it is comfortable. Gently rinse your mouth with salt water three times a day beginning the day after the extraction (a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, rinse-swish-spit). Also, rinse gently after meals, it helps keep food out of the extraction site. It is very important to resume your normal dental routine after 24 hours, this should include brushing your teeth and tongue and flossing at least once a day. This speeds healing and helps keep your breath and mouth fresh. Call us right away if you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, continued swelling after two or three days, or a reaction to the medication. After a few days you will be feeling fine and can resume your normal activities. AFTER FILLINGS When an anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth, and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. If possible, avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. If your child has received an anesthetic for fillings, pay extra attention to ensure that he/she does not inadvertently bite his/her lip, cheek or tongue. It’s normal to experience some hot, cold and pressure sensitivity after your appointment. Your gums may be sore for several days. Rinse three times a day with warm salt water (put a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, rinse-swish-spit) to reduce pain and swelling. You may chew right away on white fillings since they set completely on the day of the appointment. If your bite feels uneven, if you have persistent pain, or if you have any questions or concerns, please call our office.