Following your filling appointment if an anesthetic has been used, your lips, tongue and cheek may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid chewing and hot beverages until the numbness has completely worn off. It is very easy to bite or burn your tongue or lip while you are numb.

It is normal to experience some hot, cold & pressure sensitivity after your appointment. Injection sites may also be sore. Over the counter Ibuprofen (Motrin) or Tylenol (one tablet every 4 hours as needed for pain) work well to alleviate the tenderness. Once the numbness is completely worn off, if you feel that the filled teeth come in contact prior to the rest of the teeth contact our office for an adjustment.

You may chew with your composite (tooth colored) fillings as soon as the anesthetic completely wears off, since they are fully set when you leave the office. If you chose the silver fillings do not eat on that side for the next eight hours since silver fillings take longer to achieve their complete set strength.

After tooth extraction, it’s important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. That’s why we ask you to bite on a gauze pad for 30-45 minutes after the appointment. You may have to do this several times. If bleeding still persists, biting on a moist tea bag wrapped in gauze may help control the oozing from the surgical site. Tea has an ingredient that promotes blood clotting.

After the blood clot forms, it is important not to disturb or dislodge the clot as it aids healing. Does not rinse vigorously, suck on straws, smoke, drink alcohol or brush teeth next to the extraction site for 72 hours. These activities will dislodge or dissolve the clot and retard the healing process. Limit vigorous exercise for the next 24 hours as this will increase blood pressure and may cause more bleeding from the extraction site.

Failure to comply with the above instructions will result in dislodgement of the clot and severe throbbing pain at the extraction site, since the bone is now exposed to the oral environment. After the tooth is extracted you may feel some pain and experience some swelling. An ice pack or an unopened bag of frozen peas or corn applied to the area will keep swelling to a minimum. Take pain medications as prescribed. The swelling usually subsides after 48 hours.

Use the pain medication as directed. Call the office if the medication doesn’t seem to be working. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if signs and symptoms of infection are gone. Drink lots of fluid and eat nutritious soft food on the day of the extraction. You can eat normally as soon as you are comfortable.

It is important to resume your normal dental routine after 24 hours. This should include brushing and flossing your teeth at least once a day. This will speed healing and help keep your mouth fresh and clean. After a few days you will feel fine and can resume your normal activities. If you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, continued swelling for 2-3 days, or a reaction to the medication, call our office immediately.

In addition to the above instructions, it is important to remember a few additional points if you have received a graft within the socket site after we removed your tooth.

Also called third molars, wisdom teeth usually make their first appearance in young adults between the ages of 15 to 25. Because most mouths are too small for these four additional molars, an extraction procedure, sometimes immediately after they surface, is often necessary.

The bone graft is made up of many fine particles. You may find some small granules in your mouth for the first several days. Do not be alarmed by the presence of these small granules. It is completely normal for some granules to become dislodged from the graft site, but there are some things you can do to minimize the amount of granules which become dislodged:

• Do not rinse vigorously or spit for the first 3 to 5 days


• Do not apply pressure with your tongue or fingers to the grafted area. The material is movable during the initial phases of healing and it is best to leave the area undisturbed as much as possible.


• Do not lift or pull your lip back to look at the sutures. This pulling or stretching can damage the wound, tear sutures and decrease the success of the graft. These sutures may or may not be resorbable. If you have been told that you have received external silk sutures they have to be removed by us. Sometimes your dentist may even place a barrier for the graft which may or may not be resorbable and may have to be removed.

On the first day it is best to let the area settled and allows the blood clot to stabilize the graft material. Therefore, do not even rinse your mouth the first day. After the first day you may begin gentle rinsing with warm salt water, but avoid rinsing vigorously and avoid forced spitting.

If you require more than just a regular cleaning your Dentist /Hygienist may prescribe a deep cleaning (Scaling and Root Planing).It is usually done in sections. One half of the mouth is cleaned in one session & you will have to come back for the other half. First the teeth & the gums are anaesthetized then the teeth are cleaned using a combination of ultrasonic & hand instruments. It is normal to experience cold & hot sensitivity after the appointment. Your teeth may even be sensitive to chewing. Your gums will be sore and may bleed.

Sometimes your Dentist /Hygienist may advise the placement of an antibiotic ( arestin , perio-chip) in the pocket if it greater than 4mm. In that case, patients should postpone brushing for 12 hours and avoid the use of interproximal cleaning devices(flossing) for 10 days. Also patients should avoid eating hard, crunchy or sticky foods for 1 week.

After the completion of treatment it is important to follow good home care which includes regular brushing, flossing, using a mouth rinse (prescription or over the counter).Your Dentist / Hygienist may put you on a 3 -4 month follow up care. Failure to comply with it will return your gum condition back to square one. Regular follow up care will create an environment for the gums and bone to heal and will prevent further destruction. Gum disease is a silent disease and the importance of follow up care cannot be overemphasized.

Immediate or Transitional Dentures

These dentures are delivered as soon as the remaining non-restorable teeth are removed. They serve as a bandage to the sockets and help in controlling the bleeding. For the next 24 hours do not remove the dentures from your mouth. Apply firm pressure by biting on a gauze pad for 30-45 minutes following the appointment. You may have to repeat this several times. You may apply cold pack externally to control bleeding and swelling. Your immediate dentures will contain the swelling. Take the prescribed pain medication and antibiotics. Do not rinse your mouth vigorously. Restrict your diet to soft and cold foods. It is normal to see your pillow stained with blood. Do not panic. The following morning gently rinse your mouth.

As your sockets heal your dentures will get loose and will need to be adjusted several times. Learning to wear your new dentures (particularly full dentures) is much like learning a new sport. It takes practice and patience. Try not to become discouraged at first. Wear your dentures regularly so your dentist can locate the sore spots when you go in for an adjustment.

You may salivate more when you first get your denture. This is normal and usually stops anywhere from within the first few minutes to a few days. It is important that you practice talking. Talk to yourself, read aloud and sing. You should sound normal within a very short time.

You will also need to practice eating. Do not plan to eat your first meal in public. Cut your food into small bites, eat easy to chew foods and chew slowly. Some people feel more comfortable wearing adhesives under their dentures (particularly full dentures). You can experiment with over the counter adhesives. It is important to make sure you remove the entire adhesive each day when you clean your dentures.

At the end of 3 months your Dentist will reline your denture in house to make them fit tighter. Bone usually takes 365 days to completely heal. At the end of a year your Dentist will send your dentures for a lab reline. It is usually done within a day so be prepared to take a day off.

Transitional dentures are only for the period of gum and bone healing and your Dentist may recommend permanent dentures.

The removable partial or full denture must be removed at least 8 hours each day, preferably at bedtime. Letting the denture stay in the mouth 24 hours a day will cause you to develop sores and fungus under it. It should also be removed and cleaned after meals. When you take it out at bedtime, clean it with a brush and soak it in water, mouthwash or a denture cleaner. Do not let the denture dry out, as this can cause it to warp. When rinsing and brushing your denture over the sink, it is best to place a wash cloth in the basin with some water to cushion the denture should you drop it. The acrylic will break if dropped.

Even if you wear a full denture, it is still important to see your dentist regularly. Your dentures should be checked routinely, along with both the fit and the bite. A poorly fitting denture can cause problems with the underlying tissues and bone loss. You will also be checked for oral cancer and other diseases that can show up in the mouth

Veneer preparation involves the removal of a small amount of tooth structure. An impression is taken & sent to the lab to fabricate the custom veneers. During this time your Dentist may place temporary veneers on your teeth, Temporary Veneers are made of either acrylic or composite material. They are very fragile and are attached to the underlying tooth structure with temporary cement and can be easily dislodged.

If a veneer comes off, call us and we will replace it immediately. If you are in a situation that will not allow you to come in, place the temporary back in place with some Fixodent™ (denture adhesive) till you can come in. The size, shape, and color of the temporary does not resemble the final veneer.

Temporary veneers may leak saliva or food onto the tooth. Sensitivity to hot, cold, pressure or sweets is not uncommon. Temporary veneers also stain very easily. Avoid heavy brushing of the temporaries and do not floss between them because you may pull them off.

Your permanent porcelain veneers will be as close to the natural teeth as possible. Your Dentist may even send you for custom shading to closely duplicate your adjoining natural teeth.

Permanent porcelain veneers are bonded to your teeth using the finest materials. As with natural teeth; avoid chewing excessively hard foods on the veneered teeth (hard candy, ice, raw carrots, etc.) because the porcelain material can break under extreme forces.

Proper brushing, flossing, and regular 6-month (minimal) cleanings are essential to the long-term stability and appearance of your veneers. If not your gums may recede reveal the underlying discolored tooth structure requiring replacement of your veneers.

Pain and sensitivity following teeth whitening is common. You may be sensitive to cold air & fluids; however the pain will fade away within 24-36 hours.

It is important not to consume any colorants in the first 24- hours following the procedure. Anything that colors such as red wine, dark colas, coffee, tea, red sauces, soya sauces and smoking must be avoided.

Following the whitening procedure an instant lightening is usually seen in most cases. However rebound is not uncommon. On an average during the first month there may be loss of one shade unit, another shade unit during the next 6 months and another shade unit during the subsequent six months. Everyone responds differently, so your rebound effect may be less or greater than the averages stated above. Rebound means that after about two years your teeth may have returned to the color prior to bleaching.

Rebound MUST be managed, this is achieved through any combination of:

• Careful diet control avoiding high colorants,
• Meticulous oral hygiene,
• Using a whitening toothpaste
• Using home bleaching trays,
• Annual repeat of the in house teeth whitening.