Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. There may be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gingival (gum) tissue.
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 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 intermittently, as much as possible, for the first 36 hours.
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.
You should begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate pain, Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) may be taken. 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 Tylenol if you are taking a prescription pain medicine from our office. Many prescription pain medicines already contain Tylenol and you can easily take too much. You may take Ibuprofen at the same time as most prescription pain medicines we provide in our office. Do not take any of the above medications if you are allergic, or have been instructed by your doctor not to take it.
Be sure to take any prescribed antibiotics as directed to help prevent infection.
Good oral hygiene is essential to good healing. Starting 3 days before 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 the Peridex 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. If you use a rotary toothbrush we recommend you turn it off in the area of the healing abutment and use the brush similar to a standard toothbrush as the rotational motion can loosen the healing abutment.
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.
We understand how important it is for our patients to be able to wear their temporary partials, flippers, or full dentures. It is important for our staff to check the fit of your appliance. Poor fit can transmit pressure to the implant site(s) which can interfere with implant healing and result in implant failure. In some cases it may be necessary to go without wearing your temporary teeth for a few days until swelling resolves and some healing has taken place. Remember, most temporary prosthesis are for cosmetics only and not for chewing. They should be worn in public when required and removed whenever possible.
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Address: 600 South Park Avenue • Montrose, CO 81401 • Phone: (970) 240-4485
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