| 1. |
Medications: Resume all your pre-existing home medications post-surgery. Take your prescriptions as prescribed by your Surgeon. If you are on blood thinners–follow your Surgeon’s recommendations regarding when they can be resumed (if held pre-surgery). Narcotic medications (If prescribed) should be taken with caution: They can cause constipation, nausea and drowsiness (please don’t drive while on narcotics).
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| 2. |
Antibiotics: If you have been given Antibiotics post-surgery: take them as directed. Certain antibiotics can make birth control pills ineffective–use alternative methods for birth control as required. If you get a rash/hives or diarrhea, then stop the antibiotic and call our office for further guidance.
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| 3. |
Pain and Swelling: Expected to peak around Day 3 after-surgery. To minimize swelling: apply cold packs to face 20 min on, 20 min off for the first 48 hours. After the 1st 48 hours, switching to war compresses will help increase blood flow to the area and reduce swelling. Also elevate head when sleeping (recliner/pillows). Swelling should start to decrease after Day 3 - if swelling worsening after Day 3, call our office. If swelling becomes so severe that you cannot breathe or swallow – then call 911 or go to your Local ER. Swelling can last up to 7-10 days post-surgery.
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| 4. |
Fevers: A low grade fever is normal after having surgery. If you have a fever > 101.5 then call our office
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| 5. |
Food: Immediately post-surgery, cold liquids are recommended (ie: apple/cranberry juice, Gatorade, Italian ice/jello). Then slowly advance to soft mashed foods as directed (avoid foods that are crunchy, hard/sharp or tough to chew). Avoid chewing over the surgical site as best possible. While you are still “numb” from local anesthesia please don’t eat or drink anything hot as this may cause a burn. Also avoid eating solids until the numbness from the local anesthetic has worn off–this way you don’t accidently bite your lip/cheek/tongue post-surgery. Do not use straws for 1 week as this may irritate the surgical site, cause bleeding or “dry sockets”. Examples of foods to avoid: Popcorn, hard candy, chips, small nuts/seeds, Licorice/chewing gum, Tough meats or breads. Examples of foods OK to eat: Yogurt/Pudding, Protein shakes, Ice cream, Mashed potatoes, Ground meat, Soup, Scrambled eggs, Tilapia/Salmon, Soft noodles/pasta, Rice.
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| 6. |
Bleeding: Bleeding or Re-bleeding from the surgical site can occur even up to a week after surgery (especially if you are on Blood thinners). Bite down on rolled gauze or a tea bag moistened in cold water over the site for 30 minutes continuously to stop the bleeding and then replace with a new gauze pack/tea bag. You may have to repeat this step multiple times to control the bleeding. If you have performed the above steps and still have severe bleeding, then call us and we will further guide you in management.
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| 7. |
Dental appliance/dentures: You may be advised by your Surgeon to not wear your removable denture prosthesis in your mouth post-surgery for a brief period to prevent any pressure or irritation of your surgical site.
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| 8. |
Smoking: Do not smoke/vape anything (Nicotine/Marijuana) as this will cause complications such as poor wound healing, infection, dry sockets, dental implant/bone graft failure etc. Try to not smoke for the first 7 days as they are crucial for wound healing.
Bruising: Normal after surgery and can last up to 10-14 days. Bruising may occur even away from the surgical site (like in the neck, eyelids, cheeks).
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| 9. |
Oral Hygiene: Do not brush near the surgical sites the day of the surgery. Brush with a soft manual (nonelectric) toothbrush near the surgical site to keep it clean. You may use your electric toothbrush elsewhere in your mouth. Do not brush over implants using an electric toothbrush (the vibrations can affect its integration into the bone). You may have been advised to use a Waterpik post-surgery – make sure it’s on the lowest setting. You may be given an irrigating syringe to keep the surgical clean (use as directed).
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| 10. |
Miscellaneous: | • |
You may notice that after a bone grafting procedure, small particles of bone may exfoliate – this is normal and will stop after a few days.
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A suture may come out prematurely – this is not an emergency: the wound will still heal with time and the site does not need to be re-sutured.
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Numbness may be present a few days post-surgery: this will typically resolve by itself with time – follow up with your Surgeon to monitor it and for further management. |
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