Patient Instructions

Instructions following Surgery

1. The day of surgery, apply an icepack to the outside of your face around the area treated for 20 minutes on followed by 5 minutes off until you go to sleep. The swelling is most evident on the second day after surgery.  Swelling and/or bruising may last up to a week.
2. Do not raise your lip to examine the area. Try to avoid unnecessary movement that may disrupt the healing process
3. Do no rinse and spit the day of surgery. The day after surgery, rinse your mouth gently with the Chlorhexidine mouthwash prescribed twice a day for 2 weeks.  You can rinse with salt water additionally if needed. ( one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm tap water).   It is important to keep the area clean .  Continue rinsing twice daily until the sutures have been removed or have dissolved on their own. The day after surgery, normal brushing and flossing can resume for all other areas of your mouth away from the surgical site.  Your endodontist will indicate when you can resume brushing the surgical area. 
4. Avoid sucking through a straw the day of surgery.
5. If you need to sneeze, do so with your mouth open the day of surgery.
6. You may have mild to moderate discomfort after the anesthesia wears off the day of surgery. Take the pain medication prescribed as per the scheduled dose every 4-6 hours  the first 24 hours. Thereafter, pain medication is only to be taken as needed.
7. The night of surgery, it is advisable to sleep with 2 pillows to keep your head elevated.
8. Should you experience any oozing of blood after surgery, gently place a moistened sterile gauze over the sutures and apply pressure for 20 minutes. In most cases, the slight oozing. mixes with saliva and may appear as more bleeding than is actually present. Should you run out of gauze, you can use moistened tea bags.
9. Try to eat a balanced diet during the healing period. Drink plenty of liquids and avoid hot foods or liquids. Soft foods are advisable such as cooked vegetables, ground meet, mashed potatoes, eggs, soft bread,  pasta, cooked fish, soup.  Hard foods such as crackers, celery and nuts may irritate the tissues and should be avoided. 
10. Do not smoke  for a period of 2 weeks after surgery as smoking will compromise healing. Avoid smoking for 1 month if bone grafting has been placed.
11. Do not engage in any physical activity, including carrying or lifting objects, from the day of your surgery to 5-7 days post surgery.
12. Avoid alcohol for the first 72 hours after surgery so as not to slow the initial healing process.  If antibiotics have been prescribed, then avoid alcohol until 2 days after your last dose.  days.
13. If surgery has been performed in close proximity to your maxillary sinus then avoid air travel for 10 days,  avoid use of the Netti Pot and avoid playing wind instruments.
14. You will receive a combination of non dissolving and dissolving sutures.  Scheduled post operative visits will be arranged  to monitor healing and remove the non dissolving sutures. 
15. Should you have any questions, or experience any problems, please do not hesitate to contact our office.