Post-Treatment Instructions
At Springs Dental Care, we are committed to providing clear post-operative instructions to support a smooth recovery and help you achieve the best possible treatment results. If you have any questions after your procedure, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our caring team is here to assist you every step of the way!
Post-op Instructions for Restorative Fillings:
When anesthesia has been used your lips and tongue may be numb for several hours after your appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. It is recommended you take some ibuprofen before the anesthetic wears off. This will help with any swelling or pain.
Sensitivity: Mild to moderate sensitivity to hot and cold is common for a few weeks following a dental restoration. Usually, the deeper the cavity, the more sensitive the tooth will be.
Gum Soreness: The gum tissue could have been irritated during the procedure and may be sore for a few days together with the anesthetic injection site. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to reduce pain and swelling. If discomfort persists more than 2 weeks, contact our office to have the doctor evaluate.
Your Bite: It is not unusual for your bite to be off balance. We do adjust the bite immediately after placing the restoration, however the numb feeling often does not allow for proper refinement of the bite at the time of appointment. If you do feel your bite is off, contact us immediately to schedule the best time for you to come in for a quick adjustment. Otherwise, choosing to wait for an extended period of time could cause the nerve to become inflamed causing more extensive treatment.
Continued Care: Proper brushing, flossing and routine hygiene visits are essential to the long term stability and appearance of your restoration. Often, problems that may develop with the fillings can be found at an early stage and repaired
Post-op Instructions for Crowns & Bridges:
1. Crowns and bridges usually take 2 or 3 appointments to complete. On the first appointment, the tooth/teeth are prepared, impressions are taken, and a temporary crown is placed on your tooth/teeth.
2. You may experience sensitivity, gum soreness, and slight discomfort on the tooth/teeth; it should subside after the placement of the permanent crown(s).
3. Whenever anesthesia is used, avoid chewing on your teeth until the numbness has worn off.
4. A temporary crown is usually made of plastic-based material or soft metal. It can break if too much pressure is placed on it. The crown may also 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. If it comes off it should be replaced as soon as possible. To avoid losing your temporary, do not chew on sticky or hard food (chewing gum, ice). Try to chew on the opposite side of the temporary as much as possible.
5. Continue your normal brushing but be careful while flossing around the temporaries (remove the floss gently from the side). If it is difficult to get the floss between the temporary and surrounding teeth, refrain from flossing until you receive your permanent crown.
6. After 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 after 2-3 days the bite still feels uneven or if you feel discomfort when chewing on the tooth, call our office. Delaying the necessary adjustments may damage the tooth permanently.
7. Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any questions.
Post-op Instructions for Denture Delivery:
1. 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.
2. You should take the dentures out every night and keep them in a clean container filled with water or denture cleaning solution. Your gums need to rest and be without the dentures every day for a period of time.
3. Clean dentures thoroughly with a brush and water before putting them back in your mouth.
4. It may be difficult to talk normally with the new dentures for a few days. One 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 dentures and you will talk normally very soon.
5. Call our office if you are experiencing pain, discomfort, or if you have any questions.
Post-op Instructions for Extractions:
1. Pressure should be placed on the gauze pad that has been put over the extraction site for one hour. If the bleeding continues new gauze should be placed and pressure applied for another 45 minutes.
2. If you are supervising children who have had an extraction done, make sure they don’t bite on their numb lips or tongue (it can cause serious injury to their soft tissue).
3. Avoid eating or drinking anything hot on the day of your extraction. Also, do not rinse your mouth and do not use a straw for drinking. Do not spit and do not drink carbonated beverages. Do not brush on the day of the surgery; you can gently resume your brushing and flossing the day after.
4. You may experience some pain, bruising around your lips, and/or some swelling, especially after extraction of impacted wisdom teeth. Ice bag application and medication prescribed for you will help to minimize your discomfort.
5. Please take all the medication you have received based on the provided instructions.
6. During the first 2-3 days after surgery a diet of soft food and liquids is recommended (soup, yogurt, milkshakes and juice).
7. For more complex surgical procedures, including Impacted Wisdom Tooth Extraction, Implant Surgical Procedures, etc: You will receive an ice wrap which should be worn for the rest of the day until you go to bed on the day of surgery (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off). Instructions for various surgical treatments will have some unique directions, which will be supplied to you at the time of your treatment.
8. Call our office if you experience excessive bleeding, severe pain or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In case of serious emergencies call 911.
Post-op Instructions for Deep Cleaning:
You may experience some cold and heat sensitivity (especially after deep cleaning).
1. If you have received anesthesia do not eat anything until the numbness has worn off.
2. Continue your regular brushing and flossing.
3. Some bleeding for a day or two after cleaning is normal, but if you experience any excessive bleeding call our office.
4. Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any questions.
Post-op Instructions for Restorative Fillings:
When anesthesia has been used your lips and tongue may be numb for several hours after your appointment. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. It is recommended you take some ibuprofen before the anesthetic wears off. This will help with any swelling or pain.
Sensitivity: Mild to moderate sensitivity to hot and cold is common for a few weeks following a dental restoration. Usually, the deeper the cavity, the more sensitive the tooth will be.
Gum Soreness: The gum tissue could have been irritated during the procedure and may be sore for a few days together with the anesthetic injection site. Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to reduce pain and swelling. If discomfort persists more than 2 weeks, contact our office to have the doctor evaluate.
Your Bite: It is not unusual for your bite to be off balance. We do adjust the bite immediately after placing the restoration, however the numb feeling often does not allow for proper refinement of the bite at the time of appointment. If you do feel your bite is off, contact us immediately to schedule the best time for you to come in for a quick adjustment. Otherwise, choosing to wait for an extended period of time could cause the nerve to become inflamed causing more extensive treatment.
Continued Care: Proper brushing, flossing and routine hygiene visits are essential to the long term stability and appearance of your restoration. Often, problems that may develop with the fillings can be found at an early stage and repaired
Post-op Instructions for Crowns & Bridges:
1. Crowns and bridges usually take 2 or 3 appointments to complete. On the first appointment, the tooth/teeth are prepared, impressions are taken, and a temporary crown is placed on your tooth/teeth.
2. You may experience sensitivity, gum soreness, and slight discomfort on the tooth/teeth; it should subside after the placement of the permanent crown(s).
3. Whenever anesthesia is used, avoid chewing on your teeth until the numbness has worn off.
4. A temporary crown is usually made of plastic-based material or soft metal. It can break if too much pressure is placed on it. The crown may also 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. If it comes off it should be replaced as soon as possible. To avoid losing your temporary, do not chew on sticky or hard food (chewing gum, ice). Try to chew on the opposite side of the temporary as much as possible.
5. Continue your normal brushing but be careful while flossing around the temporaries (remove the floss gently from the side). If it is difficult to get the floss between the temporary and surrounding teeth, refrain from flossing until you receive your permanent crown.
6. After 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 after 2-3 days the bite still feels uneven or if you feel discomfort when chewing on the tooth, call our office. Delaying the necessary adjustments may damage the tooth permanently.
7. Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any questions.
Post-op Instructions for Denture Delivery:
1. 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.
2. You should take the dentures out every night and keep them in a clean container filled with water or denture cleaning solution. Your gums need to rest and be without the dentures every day for a period of time.
3. Clean dentures thoroughly with a brush and water before putting them back in your mouth.
4. It may be difficult to talk normally with the new dentures for a few days. One 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 dentures and you will talk normally very soon.
5. Call our office if you are experiencing pain, discomfort, or if you have any questions.
Post-op Instructions for Extractions:
1. Pressure should be placed on the gauze pad that has been put over the extraction site for one hour. If the bleeding continues new gauze should be placed and pressure applied for another 45 minutes.
2. If you are supervising children who have had an extraction done, make sure they don’t bite on their numb lips or tongue (it can cause serious injury to their soft tissue).
3. Avoid eating or drinking anything hot on the day of your extraction. Also, do not rinse your mouth and do not use a straw for drinking. Do not spit and do not drink carbonated beverages. Do not brush on the day of the surgery; you can gently resume your brushing and flossing the day after.
4. You may experience some pain, bruising around your lips, and/or some swelling, especially after extraction of impacted wisdom teeth. Ice bag application and medication prescribed for you will help to minimize your discomfort.
5. Please take all the medication you have received based on the provided instructions.
6. During the first 2-3 days after surgery a diet of soft food and liquids is recommended (soup, yogurt, milkshakes and juice).
7. For more complex surgical procedures, including Impacted Wisdom Tooth Extraction, Implant Surgical Procedures, etc: You will receive an ice wrap which should be worn for the rest of the day until you go to bed on the day of surgery (10 minutes on and 5 minutes off). Instructions for various surgical treatments will have some unique directions, which will be supplied to you at the time of your treatment.
8. Call our office if you experience excessive bleeding, severe pain or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In case of serious emergencies call 911.
Post-op Instructions for Deep Cleaning:
You may experience some cold and heat sensitivity (especially after deep cleaning).
1. If you have received anesthesia do not eat anything until the numbness has worn off.
2. Continue your regular brushing and flossing.
3. Some bleeding for a day or two after cleaning is normal, but if you experience any excessive bleeding call our office.
4. Call our office if you are in pain or if you have any questions.