post op information

After leaving our office, rest and avoid strenuous activities for the first 48 hours. You should go rest and relax with no physical activity. Keeping blood pressure lowered will reduce bleeding and aid healing.

Aside from normal hygiene, it is best to completely leave the implant alone for the first 2 weeks after placement.

Minimal bleeding is expected after implant surgery. Minimal bleeding after surgery may continue for several hours and mix with your saliva causing reddish/pink slava for the rest of the day. The best way to stop bleeding is to fold (2) pieces of gauze over your surgery site and gently bite for 20 minutes ensuring pressure on the surgical site. If sutures material is used during surgery it may last anywhere from 2 to 7 days and should be left alone. Gut sutures will look like a see-through string and are self dissolving and will not need to be removed. Liquid sutures will look like a purple sab over the surgical site. You will be asked to return to the office for a 1 week follow-up appointment.

Swelling is the body’s normal reaction to surgery and healing. The swelling will not become apparent until 24 hours after surgery and will not reach its peak for 2-3 days. After this time, the swelling should decrease but may persist for 7-10 days. Swelling may be minimized by using ice packs. Apply the ice pack to the outside of your face for 20 minutes on and then 20 minutes while awake for the first 24 hours.

Some discomfort is normal after surgery. If you do not have an allergy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil) we recommend taking this prior to the local anesthetic wears off. More severe pain may require a narcotic pain medication to be prescribed. Narcotic pain medication will make you drowsy. Do not drive or operate mechanical machinery while taking that prescription. Alternating Ibuprofen (2 tablets/200mg each) and the narcotic medication every 3 hours as needed. Once you feel like you can stop taking the narcotic, use Ibuprofen and Tylenol. All medications should not exceed the recommended dosage.

Antibiotics will be prescribed at or before your appointment. It is advised to finish the full round of antibiotics and take as directed. Women: Some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. Use alternate birth control methods for the following two months.

Nausea and vomiting may occur from taking pain medication or antibiotics on an empty stomach. Reduce nausea by preceding each pain pill or antibiotic with soft food and a large glass of water.

Smoking should be stopped following surgery. Healing and success of the implant will be substantially reduced by cigarette and/or vaping chemicals.

Do not brush your teeth for the first 8 hours after surgery. After this, you may brush your teeth gently but avoid the area of surgery for 3 days. Avoid all rinsing or swishing for the first 24 hours after your procedure. After 24 hours you may begin gentle rinsing with warm salt water. (½ teaspoon salt and 4 ounces of warm water) Avoid commercial or alcohol mouth rinses. Bad breath is common and will disappear as healing occurs. Two to three days following surgery, white possible hard tissue may be seen in the surgical site. This signifies normal, healing tissue. It’s not unusual to see the silver implant healing cap appear through gum tissue following the procedure. If this silver healing cap comes off in the 4-6 month healing period please contact our office at (360) 667-5676

Foods to eat while healing include applesauce, Jell-O, pudding, yogurt, milkshake (no straw), mashed potatoes, eggs, pancakes, creamed cereals, soups (be careful-not too hot), pasta, ice cream and protein shakes.

While healing you will be turning to our office every 6 weeks for follow up appointments on your implant. At this appointment we will take an x-ray and your doctor will evaluate your site. Any questions can be answered at this time. These appointments are normally short. After 4-6 months of healing your implant will be ready to engage the tooth and you will be able to use your implant as a normal tooth.

Please contact our office if you have any uncontrollable pain, excessive or severe bleeding, fever/chills, excessive warm swelling occurring a dew days after procedure or reactions to medications such as rash, itching or breathing problems.

After leaving our office, rest and avoid strenuous activities for the first 48 hours. You should go rest and relax with no physical activity. Keeping blood pressure lowered will reduce bleeding and aid healing.

Minimal bleeding is expected after implant surgery. Minimal bleeding after surgery may continue for several hours and mix with your saliva causing reddish/pink slava for the rest of the day. Before leaving our office we will be placing your denture in your mouth made by the denturest. You are to keep your denture in without removing it for the first 24 hours. You will have an appointment made with your denturist the following day. Your denturest will take your denture out for the first time. If sutures material is used during surgery it may last anywhere from 2 to 7 days and should be left alone. Gut sutures will look like a see-through string and are self dissolving and will not need to be removed. Liquid sutures will look like a purple sab over the surgical site. You will be asked to return to the office for a 1 week follow-up appointment.

Swelling is the body’s normal reaction to surgery and healing. The swelling will not become apparent until 24 hours after surgery and will not reach its peak for 2-3 days. After this time, the swelling should decrease but may persist for 7-10 days. Swelling may be minimized by using ice packs. Apply the ice pack to the outside of your face for 20 minutes on and then 20 minutes while awake for the first 24 hours.

Some discomfort is normal after surgery. If you do not have an allergy to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil) we recommend taking this prior to the local anesthetic wears off. More severe pain may require a narcotic pain medication to be prescribed. Narcotic pain medication will make you drowsy. Do not drive or operate mechanical machinery while taking that prescription. Alternating Ibuprofen (2 tablets/200mg each) and the narcotic medication every 3 hours as needed. Once you feel like you can stop taking the narcotic, use Ibuprofen and Tylenol. All medications should not exceed the recommended dosage.

Antibiotics will be prescribed at or before your appointment. It is advised to finish the full round of antibiotics and take as directed. Women: Some antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. Use alternate birth control methods for the following two months.

Nausea and vomiting may occur from taking pain medication or antibiotics on an empty stomach. Reduce nausea by preceding each pain pill or antibiotic with soft food and a large glass of water.

Smoking should be stopped following surgery. Healing and success of the implant will be substantially reduced by cigarette and/or vaping chemicals.

After 24 hours you may begin gentle rinsing with warm salt water. (½ teaspoon salt and 4 ounces of warm water) Avoid commercial or alcohol mouth rinses. Bad breath is common and will disappear as healing occurs. Two to three days following surgery, white possible hard tissue may be seen in the surgical site. This signifies normal, healing tissue. It’s not unusual to see the silver implant healing cap appear through gum tissue following the procedure. If this silver healing cap comes off in the 4-6 month healing period please contact our office at (360) 667-5676

Foods to eat while healing include applesauce, Jell-O, pudding, yogurt, milkshake (no straw), mashed potatoes, eggs, pancakes, creamed cereals, soups (be careful-not too hot), pasta, ice cream and protein shakes.

Occasionally after surgery small edges of bone may become exposed, most commonly on the tongue side of lower teeth. If these occur, either they will work their way out naturally or you may call our office to make an appointment for their simple removal. Bone spurs are your body naturally shedding bone it does not need anymore.

While healing you will be turning to our office every 6 weeks for follow up appointments on your implant. At this appointment we will take an x-ray and your doctor will evaluate your site. Any questions can be answered at this time. These appointments are normally short. If you are having problems with ill fitting dentures or sore spots please contact your dentures for adjustments. It is normal to need multiple adjustments on a new set of dentures.

After 4-6 months your implants will be ready to engage with your denture. You will first come to our office and have locator abutments placed on your implants and then have an appointment with your Denturist to convert either your existing denture or your Denturist might make a new denture before loading hosings.

Please contact our office if you have any uncontrollable pain, excessive or severe bleeding, fever/chills, excessive warm swelling occurring a dew days after procedure or reactions to medications such as rash, itching or breathing problems.

Before you receive your permanent crown/bridge you will first receive a temporary restoration. This is not as sturdy as the permanent version, so you should be careful when cleaning and eating. You should brush the area gently and while flossing you should not pull up because your temporary can become dislodged. If you need to floss your temporary crown or bridge pull your floss down but then pull one side of your floss through. It is important to keep the area clean- but to be cautious. You should avoid sticky or chewy foods while you have the temporary in. While chewing we recommend chewing on the opposite side of your mouth that your temporary is in.

There may be some sensitivity and irritation after the temporary or permanent is placed. This is normal and will subside after the soft tissue heals. A warm salt water rinse will help, and you can also take Ibuprofen or Tylenol if the pain does not go away. Rinse with warm salt water if gums are irritated. This will help the gum tissue heal quicker. In a ½ of cup of warm water add 1 tsp of salt and rinse for 1 minute and then spit out. Repeat 2 to 3 times a day.

Temporaries are not strong and may occasionally break or come off. If your temporary crown or bridge comes off while the lab is making your custom crown or bridge please call our office to make an appointment to either cement your existing temporary back on or make you a new temporary.

Foods to avoid with temporaries:

– Sticky foods (Carmel, taffy, gum, tootsie rolls, gummy candies)

– Soft breeding such as bagels or sandwich rolls

– Avoid hard nuts or candy

– Avoid eating staining foods as they could stain your temporary (Red sauces, curries, red wine, black coffee and berries)

When the permanent crown or bridge is placed it may feel a little awkward for a few days. Your mouth needs to adjust to the new tooth, and it should feel like one of your natural tooth and/or teeth in less than a week. If your bite feels abnormal in any way, you should let your dentist know by calling and making an appointment. Caring for your bridge or crown is just like caring for your own teeth. You should brush and floss regularly.

If you any questions or concerns please call our office at (360) 667-5676

After the surgery you will need to rest. No heavy lifting for the first 48 hours. You can expect for the extraction site to bleed for a little while after the surgery. Gauze will be applied at the completion of the surgery and you will bite down firmly to apply pressure to the site. You may remove the gauze after 20 minutes. If bleeding continues, place more gauze given to you at the office and apply steady pressure by biting down for 20 to 30 more minutes. If you are one blood thinner or bleed easily you may have to bite down firmly on a black tea bag for 20 to 30 minutes to help clot your blood. Rest when you return home, but do not lie flat as this could prolong the bleeding. Prop your head up on a pillow when lying down. Your dentist will prescribe you pain medication, so if you become sore take as directed. You can also use an ice pack for the pain, appling the ice pack for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.

Foods to eat while healing include applesauce, Jell-O, pudding, yogurt, milkshake (no straw), mashed potatoes, eggs, pancakes, creamed cereals, soups (be careful-not too hot), pasta, ice cream and protein shakes. Foods to avoid are small seeds, grains of rice or sharp pokey chips or breads.

When drinking, make sure you do not use a straw. The sucking motion can disturb the extraction site and loosen any sutures and slow the healing process. The same goes for smoking. Do not spit or swish any liquid in your mouth. If you feel the need to spit, add some water into your mouth and let it fall out of your mouth. Do not drink carbonated beverages or alcoholic beverages for the first 72 hours. Over-the-counter- pain medication (Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Tylenol) may be taken as directed on the bottle to relieve discomfort. If you have been prescribed antibiotics, take them as directed until they are all gone, even if symptoms dissipate. Some antibiotics can interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills or other medications. If pain medication or a mouth rinse is prescribed take as directed If you have prolonged pain, bleeding, irritation, or don't feel that the extraction site is healing properly call our office to schedule a follow up appointment. (360) 667-5676

Your endodontic (root canal) treatment is now complete. Please note root canal treatment is like a mini surgery on your tooth, so soreness is not uncommon for a few days and can range from mild to severe. Before anesthetic wears off it is advised to take an ibuprofen and/or tylenol to help maintain an acceptable comfort level. Please do not chew or attempt to eat on the affected side while you are still numb.

Discomfort may occur because of the existing infection and inflammation of the gums and tooth ligaments as well as the manipulation of the tooth during treatment. The gums may be sore and the tooth is often tender up to a few weeks when biting and chewing. Over the counter medications are recommended to take such as Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, Aspirin, Motrin or Tylenol if discomfort occurs. Rinsing with warm salt water (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of warm water) will help with any gum discomfort. In unlikely event that swelling, fever or severe pain should occur, please call our office at (360) 667-5676

If antibiotics were prescribed, please take them as directed and finish the whole bottle.

A permanent filling was placed at the end of your treatment. Endodontically treated teeth have been weakened by previous decay and fillings. All root canal teeth need a crown. It is necessary for these teeth to receive additional protection to protect these teeth against future fracture, decay and protect the root canal. Delay in obtaining a final restoration may result in fracture and/or possible loss of the tooth. Till permanent restoration is completed (crown), it is advised to avoid crunchy or hard food to prevent tooth fracture. Your tooth may be made shorter to help protect the tooth till a crown is placed.