Crown, Bridge, Inlay, and Onlay Post-Op Instructions:

  ·         Crowns and bridges usually take 2 or 3 appointments to complete. On the first appointment the tooth/teeth are prepared and impressions are taken and a temporary crown is placed on your tooth/teeth.

·         You may experience sensitivity, gum soreness and slight discomfort on the tooth or teeth. It should subside after the placement of the permanent crown. The injection site may also be slightly tender. Use over the counter pain medication as recommended to control the pain when necessary.

·         Whenever anesthesia is used, avoid chewing on your teeth until the numbness has worn off.

·         Temporary crowns are usually made of plastic based material or soft metal. It could break if too much pressure is placed on it. The crown also may come off; if it does, save the crown and call our office. The temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth and prevent other teeth from moving To avoid losing your temporary, avoid chewing on sticky and hard food (chewing gum, ice). Try to chew on the non-treated side of your mouth as much as possible. If your temporary crown comes off, try to keep it in a safe place. If your temporary crown comes off or breaks, try to return to our office to fix it as soon as you can. However, it is okay to leave the temporary crown off for a couple of days unless you have excruciating pain with the crown off. When your temporary crown is off, it is normal to experience moderate sensitivity to cold air and liquid.

·         5After the permanent restoration is placed you may feel slight pressure for a few days. Also, the bite may feel different for a day or two. But if the bite feels uneven or you feel discomfort when chewing on the tooth after 2-3 days call our office. Delaying the necessary adjustments may cause long term damage to the tooth.

·         Continue your normal brushing but be careful while flossing around the temporaries (remove the floss gently from the side).

·         Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any questions.

Denture Delivery Post-Op Instructions:

·         You will experience some discomfort with any new denture for a few days. All new dentures need several adjustments to completely and comfortably fit your mouth.

·         You should take the dentures out every night and keep them in a clean container containing water or denture cleaning solution. Your gum needs rest and to be without the dentures every day for a period of time.

·         Clean dentures thoroughly with brush and water before putting them back in your mouth.

·         It may be difficult to talk normally with the new denture for a few days. A way to practice is to read a book or newspaper out loud for a period of time everyday. Your tongue and muscles will get used to the new denture and you will talk normally very soon.

·         Call our office if you are experiencing pain, discomfort or if you have any questions.

Extraction Post-Op Instructions:

Things to Avoid:
• Do not rinse for 24 hours after surgery.
• Do not drink through a straw for 2-3 days after surgery.
• Do not brush surgical site for 2-3 days. Brush everywhere except for the surgical site and the surrounding teeth.
• Do not drink alcohol or smoke for 48 hours after surgery.
• Do not eat or drink very hot temperatures for 1 week. Warm or room temperature drinks or food are fine.
• Do not chew hard or crunchy food (such as popcorn, nuts, candies, crackers, chips) for 1-2 weeks.
• Do not disturb surgical site with tongue, finger or objects.
• Do not swim, surf or participate in any underwater activity for 1 week.

If you experience bleeding:
• Put gentle pressure over surgical site with gauze that was provided to you by our office.
• Change gauze every 45-60 minutes or sooner if needed. Change gauze until bleeding stops. You may have some bleeding for several hours after surgery but it will decrease as you put pressure from biting on the gauze.
• After 45-60 minutes of putting pressure over the surgical site, take a look at the gauze when you take it out of the mouth. If there is a very small amount of redness or mostly pinkish/orange color, then bleeding has stopped and you can leave the gauze out. However, it is not unusual to have slight intermittent bleeding for a few days. If this happens, place the gauze and put pressure over the surgical site.
• Never sleep with gauze in your mouth.

Discomfort:
• Local anesthesia (numbing medicine) administered during surgery will usually last 2-4 hours. However, numbness can last 6-12 hours.
• At first, try over the counter pain reliever medication, such as Tylenol or Advil (as long as you are not allergic to them). Usually these medications will be adequate for mild to moderate discomfort.
• If pain is NOT relieved by over the counter medication, please take pain reliever prescribed by one of our doctors. If you take any prescribed pain relievers, you should not drive a car or handle heavy machinery as these medications may make you sleepy.
• If you experience any reactions with medication, stop the medication immediately and call our office.

Antibiotics:
• If you were prescribed antibiotics, please take them as directed. It is important to take antibiotics throughout the prescribed course. Antibiotics will help prevent infections. If you experience any reactions (such as hives, swelling or diarrhea) with medication, stop the medication immediately and call us.
• If you are taking birth control pills or shots, please be advised that antibiotics will lower the effectiveness of birth control pills or shots.

Sutures:
• If dissolvable sutures are used, these will dissolve in 1-2 weeks after surgery. On some occasions, we will use non-dissolvable sutures and they will be removed in 1-2 weeks after surgery.

Swelling and Bruising:
• You may have some swelling and/or bruising after surgery. The amount of swelling and/or bruising after surgery will vary among each patient.
• Swelling will peak 48-72 hours after surgery and it can take 7-10 days for swelling to resolve.
• To minimize swelling and bruising, apply an ice pack for 20 minutes on and off for the first 24 hours after surgery. You can use a zip lock bag filled with ice, pre-made cold packs or a bag of frozen peas/vegetables. Keeping your head slightly elevated by using pillows during sleep will also help minimize swelling and bruising.
• 24 hours after surgery, use a heat pad or a warm compress for the next 48 hours and this will reduce swelling and bruising.

Diet:
• Do not chew on the same side of your mouth where the surgery took place unless you had surgery on both sides of your mouth. If you had surgery on both sides of your mouth, try to chew on the side that had less surgery or less invasive surgery done.
• For the first 12-24 hours after surgery, we recommend a cold liquid-soft food diet (such as ice cream, fruit, protein shakes, pudding, Jello, etc.) that does not require chewing. There should be no chewing until the numbness of tongue and/or lip(s) is resolved.
• 12-24 hours after surgery when all of the numbness has resolved, you can eat soft food (such as scrambled eggs, mashed potato, warm soup, pasta, soft boneless chicken or meat, etc.).
• Do not eat or drink anything that is too hot in temperature (such as hot coffee, tea or soup) for 1 week after surgery. Warm coffee, tea or soup is fine.
• Avoid crunchy and chewy food (such as nuts, popcorn, candies, hard crackers, chips, etc). This type of food may get stuck in the surgical site, which can lead to an infection.
• If you are diabetic or have a special diet, please follow your diet guideline and take your medication as instructed by your physician.
• Please try to eat and drink a normal amount to avoid weakness or dizziness from lack of adequate intake. If you do not drink enough, you may develop a fever, which will delay the healing process. Maintaining healthy nutrition is important to faster recovery and good healing.

Oral Hygiene and Care:
• It is very important to maintain good oral hygiene after surgery to prevent infection.
• Brush your teeth gently but avoid the surgical site for 2-3 days. Simple rule of thumb is to avoid the surgical site and tooth or teeth just adjacent/next to the surgical site.
• Starting the day after surgery, rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water (one teaspoon in one quart of water) or plain water after each meal or snack. After gentle rinsing of your mouth, open your mouth and let the water just fall out. Do not spit out the rinse since this can cause a dry socket.
• Do not use alcohol based mouth rinses (such as Listerine or Scope) for 3-4 days after surgery. These types of mouth rinses can irritate the surgical site.

Filling Post-Op Instructions:

·         Do not eat on your new filling for one hour and until your numbness is gone.

·         If you are supervising children who had fillings done, make sure they don t bite on their numb lips or tongue (it can cause serious injury to their soft tissue).

·         After 4 days of usage, if your filling feels uncomfortable to biting, please give us a call. There may be some mild to moderate sensitivity to cold on the treated tooth for up to 2 week after treatment.

·         You may experience cold and heat sensitivity and some soreness on your gum, this usually subsides in a few days.

·         Call our office if you experience pain or discomfort for more than a few days after the fillings, or if you have any questions.

Implant Surgery Post-Op Instructions:

General Instructions:

1.    Increase your fluid intake following surgery and maintain a soft diet. If you have difficulty drinking fluids or swallowing, contact the office.

2.    Leave your dentures in place during the first day of surgery unless they are too uncomfortable to wear. Remove your dentures and leave the out as much as possible thereafter (especially at night).

3.    Do not pull on your lip to examine the surgical site. The incision may open which can jeopardize the bone graft and or implant and delay healing.

4.    Do not smoke for at least ten days after surgery and if possible do not smoke at all. Smoking will delay healing and contribute to a greater risk of graft and or implant failure.

5.    Avoid rinsing vigorously or spitting until the sutures are removed.

6.    Starting the day after surgery, brush and floss your teeth as usual (not in the operated area). Rinse your toothbrush under hot water to soften the bristles and avoid vigorous rinsing. Gentle rinsing with Peridex will help to clean the treated area.

7.    Please limit your physical activity following surgery. You should be able to resume light activity in a day or two.

Sinus Graft Surgery

1.    Avoid rinsing vigorously (ballooning your cheeks) or spitting until the sutures are removed.

2.    Do not blow your nose and sneeze with your mouth open. You may experience some bleeding from the nose. If you feel congested, the doctor may recommend an over the counter nasal spray such as Afrin and decongestants such as Sudafed tables. DO NOT use nasal spray for more than 3 days.

Bleeding

Slight bleeding for a number of hours following surgery is not unusual. Your saliva may be tinged with blood for up to 24 hours. If heavy bleeding is still present a few hours after surgery, moisten a wash cloth or wrap a tea bag in moist gauze and place it over the area applying pressure for one-half hour. Repeat this if necessary. Holding small amounts of ice water in your mouth will usually stop any slight oozing. If there is excessive bleeding the day of or large continual bleeding the day after surgery, call for instructions.

Pain

You will probably have pain in the area the day of and the day following surgery and possibly longer. Take your prescribed pain medication after surgery even if you do not feel pain. It is easier to prevent pain than decrease it. Take pain medication when you arrive home every 6 hours for the next 48 hours, then as needed. Do not drive or operate machinery when taking narcotic medications such as Vicodin (hydrocodone), Percocet (oxycodone), or Tylenol #3 with codeine. Limit your activities the first few days after surgery. Trying to do too much too fast increase the swelling which increases your pain.

Swelling

To minimize swelling, a cold pack should be intermittently applied to the face next to the operated area (use wash cloth frozen in zip-loc bags and wrapped in paper towels). Keep the cold pack on for 10 minutes then 20 minutes off. Repeat this sequence for 24 hours or a minimum of 4-6 hours the day of surgery. Bed rest immediately after surgery with the head elevated by a pillow is also recommended. By limiting your activity the day of surgery, you will significantly limit the degree of swelling. Swelling usually peaks three days after surgery and may persist for several days. There may be numbness associated with the swelling. Fair skinned patients and patients who bruise easily may anticipate some discoloration of the skin over the area. If the swelling is severe and or you feel feverish as well, please call.

Notify the office of any of the following occur

1.    If you have any signs which may indicate a drug reaction or allergy such as itching, hives, rash or difficulty breathing.

2.    Your body temperature becomes higher than 100 degrees F.

3.    Numbness persists three days after surgery.

4.    Pain in your jaw is not relieved by the prescribed pain medication.

5.    If you have difficulty in swallowing or breathing.

Dr. Park’s cell: 562-686-1746

Recommended Diet Following Implant Surgery

Day 1: Liquid diet: Soups, Jello-O, high protein drinks, (ex: Ensure). PATIENTS SHOULD NOT WEAR PROSTHESES FOR EATING AND SHOULD WEAR THEM ONLY FOR ESTHETICS FOR THE FIRST POST OPERATIVE 2 WEEKS.

Day 2: Same as day 1.

Day 3: Puree diet. Any food that can be blenderized well (ex: Applesauce, mashed potatoes, soft boiled eggs, etc.)

Day 4: Same as day 3.

Day 5: Same as day 4.

Day 6-14: Soft diet. (Ex: Salisbury steak, tuna fish, boiled chicken, soups, cheeses).

After day 14: Return to normal diet. 

Night Guard Post-Op Intructions:

·         It is normal for your night guard to feel snug and tight, especially when it is new. Most of our patients become accustomed to the snug fitting nature of a lab processed night guard in no more than one week.

·         If you feel pain in the morning after you wear your new night guard, make sure you bring it back to us for some minor adjustments. Patients have different muscle tolerance levels on night guards.

·         Always store the nightguard in a clean container containing water or denture cleaning solution. Clean your night guard thoroughly with a brush and water before putting it back in your mouth.

·         When you return to our office for your semi-annual dental exam and cleaning, you may bring in your night guard to be cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner.

Root Canal Treatment Post-Op Instructions:

·         You may experience moderate pain and sensitivity to pressure on your tooth. Also, you may feel gum soreness for a few days after your treatment. The healing process may take several days but the pain and discomfort should subside gradually. In some extreme cases, moderate to severe pain may still persist for up to 48 hours.

·         Take any medication that was prescribed for you according to instructions.

·         Usually a temporary filling will have been placed on your tooth. Do not bite on the tooth for one hour or until your numbing wears off. Also, until the permanent restoration is placed, be very gentle with the tooth. Try to chew with the opposite side.

·         Continue your brushing and flossing.

·         Follow up with the placement of your permanent restoration as you have been advised. Any unnecessary delay of placement of final restorations may damage the tooth permanently.

·         Call our office if you are in severe pain or experience swelling or if you have any questions.

Scaling and Root Planning (Deep Cleaning) Post Op Instructions:

·         You may experience some cold and heat sensitivity (especially after deep cleaning). Over the counter pain medication should be sufficient to alleviate the discomfort.

·         If you have received anesthesia do not eat anything until the numbness has worn off.

·         Continue your regular brushing and flossing.

·         Some bleeding for a day or two after cleaning is normal, but if you experience any excessive bleeding call our office.

·         Make sure you follow any additional oral hygiene instructions given to you by one of our dental hygienists. If medicated mouth wash is prescribed, please follow the instructions and rinse accordingly.

·         Your 3- 6 months follow up re-care (maintenance) appointment is important to ensure that your gum condition remains healthy.

·         Call our office if you are in pain or have any questions.

Whitening Post-Op Instructions:

Boost In Office Whitening Post-Op Instructions:

Once we have decided that you will be a good candidate for Boost Whitening you will be given an appointment for two hours.

We will take pictures of your teeth before and after and we will record your beginning and final shade.

The Boost whitening part takes one hour and the second hour is divided in half; setting up the treatment and then final post- operative instructions.

You will be given a follow up at home kit, which includes toothpaste, desensitizing gel and whitening trays. Instructions will be given to you.

Your teeth will get lighter during the next 24-48 hours. The whitening continues as it has been absorbed into the teeth. A record of the lighter shade can be made if the patient is interested in coming into the office to show us the final shade. This is optional.

Everyone’s teeth respond differently. Results are not guaranteed. It is important to your success that you drink more than your usual amount of water for the next 48 hours.

For the next 48 hours, the following dark staining substances should be avoided:

•           Coffee, Tea, Soy Sauce

•           Tobacco products, Berries

•           Mustard, Ketchup, Red Sauces

•           Cola, Red Wine

•           Colored drinks using dye such as grape, Gatorade, Cranberry, etc.

 It is common for teeth to be sensitive for a few days following office bleaching. Patients may describe this sensitivity as a momentary tingling or stinging sensation. This is a common post-operative symptom that usually resolves within a few days. If you do well with over the counter pain medications such as Tylenol or Motrin, they will help to alleviate mild pain and discomfort following the procedure.

Use a Fluoride mouthwash like Act or Flourigard and Sensodyne toothpaste, several times a day for the week following the bleaching.

Sheer White Whitening Strips Instructions: