Select the procedure you received to see a summary of our post-op instructions in Wichita, Kansas. Contact our dental office if you have any questions.
- Use a gauze pad to place pressure over the extraction site for one hour. If the bleeding continues, place fresh gauze over the site and apply pressure for another 45 minutes.
- If you are supervising a child who has had an extraction, make sure that they do not bite their numb lips or tongue, as this can cause serious injury to their soft tissues.
- Avoid consuming anything hot on the day of extraction. Do not rinse your mouth and do not drink from a straw. Do not spit and do not drink carbonated drinks. Do not brush your teeth on the day of surgery; resume brushing and flossing the day after.
- You may experience pain, bruising around the lips, and/or swelling, especially after extraction of impacted wisdom teeth. Apply an ice bag and take prescribed medication to minimize discomfort.
- Follow provided instructions when taking medication.
- Consume soft foods and liquids like soup, yogurt, applesauce, and milkshakes during the first two to three days after surgery.
- For complex surgical procedures like impacted wisdom tooth removal, use an ice pack for the rest of the day (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off). You will be provided with instructions for your specific surgical treatment at the time of your treatment.
- If you experience excessive bleeding, get a cup of very warm water. Place 3 tea bags in the water and let it sit for 10 minutes to make a concentrated tea solution. Dip gauze in the solution and squeeze them out. Fold the gauze and place it over the extraction site. Use enough gauze to apply firm pressure to the area when your mouth is closed. There is an acid in the tea that should help the bleeding slow and a clot to begin forming.
- Contact our office with any questions or concerns. Call 911 in the case of a serious emergency.
- Do not chew with the tooth with the filling for one hour and until the numbness is gone.
- If you are supervising a child who has had an extraction, make sure that they do not bite their numb lips or tongue, as this can cause serious injury to their soft tissues.
- Do not chew or bite hard on an amalgam (silver) filling for 24 hours.
- If you experience cold and heat sensitivity and sore gums, this will subside within a few days.
- Contact our office if you experience pain or discomfort for more than a few days after filling placement, or with any questions.
- A crown or bridge usually takes two appointments to place. During the first appointment, Dr. Blake Lawlor will prepare the tooth or teeth, take impressions, and place a temporary crown or bridge on the tooth or teeth.
- If you experience sensitivity, slight discomfort on the tooth or teeth, and sore gums, this will subside after the crown or bridge is placed.
- Avoid chewing with the teeth that were treated until the numbness wears off.
- Temporary crowns and bridges are usually made of plastic-based material or a soft metal. If too much pressure is placed on it, it may break. The crown or bridge may also come off; if so, call our office. The temporary crown or bridge is placed to protect your tooth and keep any other teeth from shifting. If the restoration comes off, it needs to be replaced as soon as possible. If the restoration is not replaced, the teeth may shift, which will cause your permanent crown or bridge to not fit properly. Do not chew on sticky or hard food like chewing gum or ice to avoid losing your temporary restoration. Try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth as much as possible.
- Continue brushing as normal, but be careful when flossing around the temporary restoration. Gently remove the floss from the side. If you have difficulty getting the floss between the temporary and surrounding teeth, refrain from flossing the area until your permanent restoration is placed.
- You may feel slight pressure for a few days after the permanent restoration is placed. Your bite may feel different for a day or two. If your bite still feels strange or if you feel discomfort when you chew with the tooth, contact our office. Delaying any needed adjustments can damage the tooth.
- Contact our dental office if you are experiencing any pain or if you have questions.
- After treatment, you may experience moderate pain and sensitivity when you put pressure on your tooth. Gum soreness may be present for a few days after your treatment. The healing process will take several days and pain and discomfort will subside gradually.
- Take medication as prescribed by your dentist.
- In most cases, a temporary filling or a temporary crown is placed on the tooth. Do not bite on the tooth for one hour and while you are numb. Until the permanent restoration is placed, be very gentle with the tooth. Chew on the other side of your mouth as much as possible.
- Continue brushing and flossing
- Follow up so that the permanent restoration can be placed when advised. Any delay in the placement of the final restoration can damage the tooth permanently.
- Contact our dental office if you experience severe pain or swelling or if you have any questions.
- Some cold and heat sensitivity may be experienced, especially after deep cleaning.
- If anesthesia was administered, do not eat until the numbness wears off.
- Continue to brush and floss as normal.
- Some bleeding is normal for a day or two after cleaning, but if you have excessive bleeding, call our dental office.
- If you are in pain or if you have any questions, feel free to contact our office.
- You may feel some pressure and discomfort on your teeth.
- Be gentle with your braces. Avoid eating hard and/or sticky food.
- Although brushing and flossing around braces can be challenging and time consuming, it is very important.
- Please contact our office if you have any questions.
- Pain, swelling, and bleeding may be experienced after surgery.
- Take medication as prescribed by your dentist.
- Apply an ice pack to your face over the surgical site for the rest of the day (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off).
- Keep your scheduled appointment to have sutures removed and your follow up appointments.
- DO NOT lift your lips to inspect the treated area.
- DO NOT brush your teeth near the surgical site. Brush the rest of your teeth as normal.
- The treatment area may experience a temporary loss of feeling and the tooth may feel loose.
- On the day of surgery, do not spit, smoke, or use a straw (avoid smoking for a few days after the surgery).
- Do not hesitate to call should any difficulties occur. If you experience a serious emergency, call 911.
- On the day of surgery, you may experience discomfort and bleeding.
- Take medication as prescribed by your dentist.
- Apply an ice pack to your face over the surgical site for the rest of the day (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off).
- Keep your scheduled appointment to have sutures removed and your follow up appointments.
- DO NOT lift your lips to inspect the treated area.
- DO NOT brush your teeth near the surgical site. Brush the rest of your teeth as normal.
- The treatment area may experience a temporary loss of feeling and the tooth may feel loose.
- On the day of surgery, do not spit, smoke, or use a straw (avoid smoking for a few days after the surgery).
- Do not hesitate to call should any difficulties occur. If you experience a serious emergency, call 911.
- For a few days, you will feel some discomfort with your new denture. All new dentures require several adjustments to completely and comfortably fit in your mouth.
- You can remove your dentures at night according to Dr. Blake Lawlor’s instructions. If you take your dentures out, keep them in a clean container filled with water or denture cleaning solution. You need to rest your gums by taking your dentures out for at least a short period of time every day.
- Clean your dentures thoroughly with a toothbrush and water before placing them back in your mouth.
- For a few days, it may be difficult to talk normally with dentures. You can practice by reading a book or a newspaper out loud every day. Very soon, your tongue and muscles will get used to your new dentures and you will talk normally.
- If you experience pain or discomfort, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact our office.
- Following the surgical treatment, you may experience swelling, minor pain, and/or skin discoloration. This is temporary.
- Use an ice pack for the first few hours after the procedure (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off).
- Use lukewarm water to rinse the treated area after each meal for three days after surgery.
- Eat soft foods and avoid hard and chewy foods.
- Rest after surgery. Insure the normal intake of food, especially liquids like fruit juices, soup, and milk. If desired, use a vitamin supplement. Try not to sleep on the treatment area for two to three days.
- DO NOT lift your lips to inspect the treated area.
- DO NOT brush your teeth near the surgical site. Brush the rest of your teeth as normal.
- The treatment area may experience a temporary loss of feeling and the tooth may feel loose.
- Take medication as prescribed by your dentist.
- Do not hesitate to call should any difficulties occur. If you experience a serious emergency, call 911.
- You will be advised of the particular procedure and directions relative to your specific treatment.
- Several sutures (stitches)will be placed at the surgical site. These sutures may or may not dissolve on their own. If you have been told that external silk sutures were placed, Dr. Blake Lawlor will remove them. Depending on the size of the graft, the sutures will remain in place for two to three weeks.
- DO NOT lift your lips to inspect the treated area.
- You may have a periodontal pack placed over the treatment site. This pack is pink and contains antibiotic, which will protect the surgical site from infection and any washout of the bone grafting material. Leave this pack in place for as long as possible. Our dentist will remove the pack at your one week follow up and will determine if the packing should be replaced or not. If the pack falls off before your one week follow up, return to our office.
- DO NOT brush your teeth where the periodontal pack is placed. Brush the rest of your teeth as normal.
- Use NO ASTRINGENTS like mouthwash or antiseptic solutions during the healing period. After the first stages of your healing are complete, we will provide you with normal saline and tell you how to use it (with or without the addition of salt), as well as irrigation syringes for cleaning the surgical site.
- Consume soft foods and liquids like soup, yogurt, applesauce, and milkshakes during the first two to three days after surgery. Do not eat anything that is too large, too hot, or too sticky.
- DO NOT smoke for at least 7 to 10 days.
- Do not hesitate to call should any difficulties occur or if you have any questions. If you experience a serious emergency, call 911.
