POST-OPERATIVE SURGICAL INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION
- Keep an ice pack firmly on the surgical site (outside the mouth) for a minimum of 5-6 hours; 20 minutes on, 5 minutes off. Placing ice chips inside the mouth in beneficial as well. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
- Eat only COLD soft food for the first 24 hours. Examples include ice cream, tuna salad, chicken salad, yogurt, pudding, fruit, applesauce, and cottage cheese. Room temperature foods will do where necessary, but hot and/or spicy food must be avoided for the first 24 hours; no hot coffee, tea, soup, etc. You may eat right away but chew only on the side of the mouth opposite from the surgical site. Do NOT drink through a straw!
- Do not rinse or swish anything, except chlorhexidine, around in your mouth for the first 24 hours. Just swallow anything you drink.
- Control body heat and temperature. It is important that no activity be done which raises either your heart rate or body temperature for 48 hours. No jogging, tennis, racquetball, aerobic dancing, shopping, swimming, biking, etc. Failure to comply will increase your chances of swelling.
- Do NOT take a hot shower or bath within the first 24 hours after surgery.
- Following surgery, keep your head higher than the rest of your body. During the daytime sit in a chair. At night sleep with a few pillows to keep your head elevated.
- ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING for a minimum of 48 hours following surgery!
The Dressing If Placed
- When a dressing is placed, it is to stay in place for one full week. Sometimes dressing are not used when implants and/or guided tissue regeneration (GTR) filters are placed.
- If a sizable portion of the surgical dressing comes off, please call the office.
- When cleaning your mouth, very gently brush only the biting surfaces of the teeth in the surgical site(s). Do not floss these areas. Please continue to brush and floss all the other areas of your mouth as usual.
Bleeding
- Some slight bleeding may occur after surgery and will be more apparent when mixed with saliva. Gently rinse your mouth with cold water and keep ice applied. Vigorous rinsing will increase the bleeding.
- If bleeding should persist, place and squeeze either a gauze square (2’’x 2’’) or a wet tea bag (soaked in ice water) for at least 10 minutes with no pauses or interruptions. In other words, do not stop pressure during the 10 minute period to “see how it is doing.”
- Call the office or your doctor heavy or bright red bleeding persists.
Swelling
- If swelling should occur and does not subside in 2-3 days after surgery, please call the office.
- If you feel throbbing and/or swelling after 48 hours after the surgery, please begin warm to hot water rinses. Take a mouthful of hot water, hold it in your mouth for 30 seconds, and then spit it out. Do this 3 times in a row every ½ hour. No salt is necessary.
Post-operative Medication
- After surgery Dr. Eskow or Dr. Yousefi will discuss medications with you. If necessary, medication(s) will be prescribed for you. Take them as directed. Follow all instructions as labeled on the bottle. Do not consume alcoholic beverages while taking the medications.
- If you should experience any unusual effects from any medication, STOP taking it immediately and call the office or if the office is closed call the appropriate phone number listed below.
- If you should notice a bitter taste or foul smell in your mouth, call the office.
In case of a true medical emergency call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room
- On evening and the weekends, non-emergency messages can be left on the office answering machine. These calls will be returned when the office reopens.
- In case of a dental emergency or severe bleeding, you may call Dr. Roy Eskow at home (301) 340-7005, or on his cell (301) 996-8008 and Dr. Raha Yousefi (301) 537-3995
For additional information, visit our website: www.bethesdadentalimplantcenter.com