- Changes in color or variations in the appearance of the tissue after laser therapy are normal. Tissues may appear gray, yellow, red, blue, purple, or even stringy as they react to the laser treatment.
- After the procedure, it's important to minimize activity for a few hours.
- You can spit, rinse, and wash your mouth today.
- Please rinse with prescription mouthwash as directed, both morning and night.
- In addition, you can gently rinse with warm salt water every three hours.
- Avoid chewing on the side of your mouth that was treated.
- Refrain from eating spicy or excessively hot foods.
- If any medications have been prescribed, make sure to follow the instructions exactly as given.
- Keeping your mouth clean will aid in the healing process, so please brush and floss all areas of your mouth that were not treated as you normally would.
- DO NOT brush or floss the treated area for two weeks following treatment—just rinse!
- Avoid applying excessive pressure from your tongue or cheek to the surgical site.
- It's also normal to experience light bleeding, slight swelling, some soreness or tenderness, sensitivity, or a medicinal taste from the mouth rinse.
- Swelling may occur, so you can apply ice to the outside of your face for 20 minutes every hour. Avoid using an ice pack after the first day.
- Some bleeding and oozing of blood may happen; if this occurs, apply gentle pressure to the area with a wet tea bag. If you experience heavy bleeding, please contact our office.
- Teeth may feel sore or sensitive after treatment. While this can be a normal part of the healing process, it may also indicate a bite imbalance that requires attention.
- Please call our office if you experience any of the following:
- Severe or prolonged pain
- Excessive or prolonged bleeding
- A significantly elevated or persistent temperature.
- Please call our office if you experience any of the following:
- Maintaining proper nutrition and hydration is essential. We encourage you to opt for soft, nutritious foods like eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and ice cream until you’re able to transition back to a regular diet.
- For the first three days, it’s crucial to stick to a liquid diet to aid healing. Anything that can be blended into a drink is acceptable.
- Broth or creamed soups
- Cottage cheese or soft cheeses
- Milkshakes and smoothies (excluding berries with seeds)
- Nutritional drinks like Ensure or Slim-Fast
- Jello, pudding, ice cream, and yogurt
- Avoid using straws, as they can create a vacuum that may disrupt the healing clot.
- For the next four days following treatment, you can eat foods with a mushy consistency, including:
- Cream of wheat or oatmeal
- Mashed or baked potatoes with butter or sour cream
- Mashed bananas, avocados, applesauce, or other blended fruits (except for berries with seeds)
- Mashed steamed vegetables
- Creamy peanut butter (without solid pieces)
- Eggs prepared any way, with or without cheese
- Omelets with cheese or avocado
- Avoid anything hard or crunchy- i.e., chewing gum, candy, cookies, chips, nuts.
- Avoid foods with seeds or hard pieces, such as shreds of meat that can get stuck, as well as raw vegetables and salads.
- After 7 to 10 days post-treatment, you can reintroduce soft foods with a consistency similar to pasta, fish, chicken, or steamed vegetables.
- Gradually, you can return to your regular diet choices. Keep in mind that even after ten days, healing is still in progress. It’s best to continue making healthy food choices and stick with softer foods for at least the first month following treatment.
- For the first three days, it’s crucial to stick to a liquid diet to aid healing. Anything that can be blended into a drink is acceptable.
If you have any concerns or questions, please give our office a call.
- For the first 24 hours you may experience some cold and heat sensitivity.
- Do not consume hot foods or beverages until the anesthesia and numbness have worn off.
- Avoid vigorous physical exercise as well as extremely hot or spicy foods for the first 24 hours.
- Do not consume alcoholic beverages or smoke for at least 48 hours following treatment.
- Some bleeding following a deep cleaning is normal, but if you experience excessive bleeding, please call our office.
- You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen as needed according to the instructions on the label or those provided by your doctor.
- A warm salt water rinse, approximately one teaspoon in an eight-ounce glass of water, three times a day can be helpful.
- Brush and floss gently following a deep cleaning, resuming normal brushing and flossing when the soreness is gone.
- Follow any other instructions provided by our office during your visit.
- Please take all medications as prescribed.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping is normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers. If you experience excessive bleeding or discomfort after 48-72 hours, please call our office immediately.
- You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen according to the instructions on the label or those provided by our office as needed.
- Swelling around the face, eyes, and surgical site is not uncommon and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the implant site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- A warm salt water rinse, approximately ½ teaspoon in an eight-ounce glass of water, three times a day can be helpful.
- Avoid brushing your teeth near the surgery site but brush and floss the rest of your mouth as instructed by our office.
- For 24 hours following your surgery, do not suck on a straw, brush, rinse, spit, or smoke.
- For the first 24 hours, you may experience some cold and heat sensitivity. Avoid hot and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
- Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid excessive work or play, and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.
- After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight-ounce glass of water, three times a day.
- During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies.
- Follow any other instructions provided by the office on your visit. Please take all medications as prescribed including your prescribed antibiotics to help prevent infection.
- If you have a denture that overlaps the implant site, please minimize the use of the denture following surgery to allow the site to heal. After the first week, you should be able to gradually increase the amount of time you can wear your denture.
- It is extremely important to keep your follow-up appointment(s) so that we can monitor the healing process.
- If pain and swelling are increasing after a few days, please call our office right away.
- Immediately following surgery, maintain pressure on the surgical area by biting down on the provided gauze pad or roll until the bleeding stops. A certain amount of bleeding is to be expected following a surgical procedure. Placing the gauze pad over the area and biting firmly will help prevent excessive bleeding. Replace the gauze as necessary until the bleeding stops.
- Children should be supervised after having an extraction to make sure they do not bite or chew their tongue or lips as this can cause serious injury to the soft tissue.
- Please fill any prescriptions you have been given and take as directed. If you have been prescribed pain medication other than aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), do not drive, operate heavy equipment, work around machinery or tools, or engage in any other activity that may be unsafe when groggy, as your reflexes and judgment will be affected by the medication.
- Antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent infection. If you have been placed on antibiotics, take the medicine as directed.
- Swelling around the face, eyes, and surgical site is not uncommon although it may not appear until the day following the surgery and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the extraction site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- For 24 hours following your surgery, do not suck on a straw, brush, rinse, spit, or smoke. Avoid hot and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
- Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid excessive work or play, and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.
- After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day.
- During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies.
- Sutures may have been placed. Most sutures placed by our office will dissolve on their own in 7-10 days, and it may not be necessary to return to the office for sutures to be removed. If you have sutures that do need a follow-up visit for removal, we will let you know at the time they are placed.
- Please call our office if you experience severe pain, excessive bleeding or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In the event of an emergency please call our office. If you are experiencing a serious or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping are normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Avoid forcefully rinsing or spitting or drinking through a straw. Biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes will help reduce bleeding. Some bleeding is normal for the first 24 hours. If bleeding continues please call our office.
- Please take all medications, including mouth rinses, as prescribed.
- After 24 hours, brushing and oral hygiene procedures should be done as usual in all untreated areas. In the treated areas, please limit your oral hygiene to brushing using a soft manual toothbrush.
What to Avoid during the First Week after Surgery
NO Flossing in Treated Areas
NO Mouthwash, Salt Water, or Peroxide Rinses
- Swelling and bruising may occur and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the surgical site will help minimize swelling.
- If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from spicy or acidic foods. Also avoid sharp and crunchy foods like tacos, chips and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol should not be used. Alcohol should not be used in combination with pain medications nor antibiotics.
- Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. Avoid strenuous activity for 2-3 days.
