BLEEDING: Bite down gently but firmly on the gauze packs that have been placed over the surgical areas, making sure they remain in place. Do not change them for the first hour unless the bleeding is not controlled. The packs may be gently removed after one hour. If active bleeding persists, place enough new gauze to obtain pressure over the surgical site for another 30 minutes. The gauze may then be changed as necessary (typically every 30 to 45 minutes). It is best to moisten the gauze with tap water and loosely fluff for more comfortable positioning. Small amounts of blood in the saliva can make your saliva appear quite red. This is normal and may be noticed the rest of the day after the procedure.
SMOKING: Smoking will retard healing, causing increased discomfort and increased chance of dry sockets. We strongly discourage smoking during the healing phase.
PAIN: Some discomfort is normal after any surgery.You will usually have a prescription for pain medication. If you take the first pill before the anesthetic has worn off, you should be able to manage any discomfort better.
ACTIVITIES: Avoid driving or operating heavy machinery, bending, lifting or any strenuous activity which can result in increased bleeding, swelling and pain. Do not drink alcohol while taking prescription pain medications. Keeping blood pressure lower will reduce bleeding and aid healing.
NAUSEA: Nausea and vomiting can occur as a result of swallowed blood, discomfort, anesthesia or pain medicines. Post-operative nausea is usually self-limiting and sipping on flat cola or ginger ale often helps.Reduce nausea by preceding each pain pill with soft food
SWELLING: Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery and will not reach its maximum until 2-3 days after surgery. It can be minimized by using a cold pack, ice bag or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel and applied firmly to the cheek adjacent to the surgical area. This should be applied twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off during the first 24 hours after surgery.
NUMBNESS: The local anaesthetic will cause you to be numb for several hours after you leave the clinic.. Be very careful not to bite, chew, pinch, or scratch the numb area. Sometimes the implant procedure causes residual numbness or tingling for six weeks or longer.
BRUSHING: 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.
ORAL HYGIENE: It is important to keep the mouth clean. You should brush your teeth on the night of surgery, but be gentle around the surgical sites. If there is minimal bleeding, saltwater rinses may begin 24 hours after surgery (mix 1 tablespoon of salt +1/2 teaspoon soda with 8 ounces of water.) Swish gently and allow the water to drip into the sink. Rinses should be done 2-3 times a day, especially after eating. You may be instructed to use a prescription antimicrobial mouthrinse.
DIET: Eat soft foods for the first two days. Maintain a good, balanced diet.Drink plenty of water.. Avoid extremely hot foods. Do not use a straw for the first few days after surgery. It is sometimes advisable, but not absolutely required, to confine the first days intake to liquids or pureed foods (soups, puddings, yogurt, milk shakes, etc.) Avoid chewing food until tongue sensation has returned. It is best to avoid foods like rice, nuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn, etc., which may get lodged in the surgical areas. Over the next several days you may gradually progress to solid foods.
SORE THROAT: This is not uncommon after oral surgery. The muscles get swollen and this may make swallowing painful. This should go away on its own in 2-3 days.
SHARP EDGES: If you feel something hard or sharp edges in the surgical areas, it is likely you are feeling the bony walls which once supported the extracted teeth. Occasionally small slivers of bone may work themselves out during the following week or so. If they cause concern or discomfort, please call us.
STIFF JAW MUSCLES: This may cause a limitation in opening the mouth wide for a few days after surgery. This is a normal post-operative event that usually resolves during the week after surgery. Stretching these muscles may help to speed up resolution of this problem.
DISCOLORATION OR BRUISING: The development of black, blue, green or yellow discoloration is due to bruising beneath the tissues. This is a normal post-operative occurrence that might appear 2-3 days after surgery. Beginning 36 hours after the surgery, moist heat applied to the area may speed up resolution of the discoloration
ANTIBIOTICS: If you were given an antibiotic prescription, take all of them as directed.
SINUS: If your sinus was involved in the procedure, you should avoid blowing your nose or playing a wind musical instrument for one week. Use of decongestant medications might be recommended.
REMOVABLE APPLIANCES, DENTURES: Your dentist will give you specific instructions about your prosthesis. To avoid putting any pressure on the new implants before they have healed, your denture might be adjusted or significantly modified. In certain cases you will need to go without your dentures for a period (days or weeks) after the implants are placed. Sometimes a temporary removable appliance is made for cosmetic purposes, until a new non-removable one can be made.
FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS: You may need to return to the office within the first 14 days to have sutures removed, or just for a brief follow-up healing check. You may need to return after the implant has integrated for a small second procedure to expose it in preparation for the final restoration.
Please call us on 040 42000024 (Punjagutta) or 040 29804422 (Hitec city) if you have:
Follow up Protocol
Caring for your braces is pretty easy if you follow a few guidelines.
Brushing: The first thing to consider when cleaning your teeth is that there are three surfaces of each tooth that need to be brushed. These surfaces are: The Outside, The Inside, The Chewing Side.
The Outside: When brushing the outside of your teeth you should try to make a 45 degree angle toward the gum line between the head of your toothbrush and the tooth itself It is especially important to make sure the area between the brace and the gum stays clean. Try to focus on a few teeth at a time. Make sure these teeth are completely free of food and plaque before moving to the next few. Once you're done with the outsides of the top and bottom teeth you can move to the insides
The Inside: When brushing the inside surfaces of your teeth try to maintain the 45 degree angle towards the gum line as you did with the outside surfaces. Again, focus on just a few teeth at a time and make sure that they are clean before moving on.
The Chewing Side: Cleaning the chewing sides of the teeth should be straight forward. Remember to focus on a few teeth at a time prior to moving on to the next ones.
Flossing: Flossing with braces takes a few minutes to master, but the effort is well worth it. The first step to flossing is getting the floss under the wire that connects the braces together.
Once the floss is under the arch wire it can be wrapped around the tooth on one side. The floss is then pushed up toward the gum line and then pulled down toward the wire. This should be repeated four to five times to ensure all plaque is removed. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the wire as you pull down. Then wrap the floss around the neighboring tooth. Once both teeth are done, the floss is pulled out and the process repeated for the next two teeth.
Foods to Avoid : Because the braces are not indestructible there are foods that need to be avoided. Hard foods may do damage by breaking the braces off of your teeth and bending the wires that are carefully designed to straighten your bite. Sticky foods may loosen your bands or get caught in the braces. Foods to avoid include:
When patients take care of their braces things progress very nicely for them. Many times our most conscientious patients finish their treatment ahead of schedule
WHAT TO DO IF THERE’S A PROBLEM
While true orthodontic emergencies are rare, occasionally a minor problem can pop up. What follows is a list of problems that may be encountered and the remedies for them.
Loss of a Spacer: If a spacer falls out it can be replaced very easily. The first step is to thread a piece of dental floss through the center of the spacer. The next step is to double the floss back on itself. Repeat this with one more piece of floss. Hold one piece of floss on either side of the spacer .slide the floss between the teeth where the spacer has come out. Pull the spacer through the contact. Keep a finger on top of the newly placed spacer. Gently pull one end of a doubled back piece of floss out of the mouth. Repeat with the other side.
Initial Soreness: After the initial placement of braces or following an adjustment, the teeth may be tender for a couple of days. This occasionally happens and will pass. An over the counter pain reliever may be helpful in alleviating this initial soreness.
Mild Tooth Mobility: Occasionally one may notice mild tooth mobility. This is normal and makes sense when one realizes that as a tooth moves the bone around it becomes softer. After the tooth has moved to its correct position the bone around I there calcifies and becomes hard again.
Wire Poking: Early on in treatment as the teeth move, it is possible for the wire to protrude from the back brace. This problem can be solved by taking a nail clipper and snipping the wire as close as possible to the brace. If you cannot clip the wire, placing some wax on it will help to keep you comfortable.
Wire out of a Brace: Just as a wire may protrude from a brace early on in treatment it is possible for a wire to come out of a brace. The solution to this problem is to simply reinsert the wire in the brace using a pair of tweezers.
Broken Brace: If a brace breaks off of a tooth it can be left there if it is not uncomfortable to you. If the brace does become bothersome the tie that holds it on can be removed with a pair of tweezers or an unbent paper clip. The most common cause of a broken brace is eating foods that are too hard or too sticky. Chewing on pens, pencils, or fingernails may also cause a broken brace. Regardless of how the brace broke please call our clinic to schedule an appointment to have it repaired.
Broken Wire: Again, eating hard or sticky foods can cause a wire to break. If this happens take a pair of nail clippers and cut the wire as close as possible to the next brace it is attached to.
Tie has come off of a Braces: If a tie comes off of a brace all should be fine. Often times it can be replaced with a pair of tweezers. If this is not possible please call our clinic so we can set up a time for you to run in and have it replaced.
Expander is Loose: If an expander becomes loose we do not want you to activate it until you are seen. Usually the expander can be pushed back onto the tooth until you can get back into our office. Sticky foods are usually the cause of this.
Poking Wire Tie: Sometimes to secure the brace to the wire we twist a very small stainless steel ligature around it. Infrequently it is possible for the twisted end of the ligature to move and start to feel sharp. If this happens simply use a pencil eraser to gently push it into a comfortable position.
Sharpness Felt on the Tongue Side of a Brace: Occasionally the tongue side of a back brace may feel sharp. This may be caused by the rubber band attachment on the brace. To solve this problem take a spoon and push the rubber band attachment back in toward the brace.
CROWN AND BRIDGE (ALSO INLAYS AND ONLAYS)
EXTRACTION
