MAINLINE DENTAL ARTS
Main Line Dental Arts is a premier specialty periodontal and dental implant practice in Narberth, PA. Dedicated to restoring and preserving your oral health with compassionate, cutting-edge care.
Main Line Dental Arts is a premier specialty periodontal and dental implant practice in Narberth, PA. Dedicated to restoring and preserving your oral health with compassionate, cutting-edge care.
Carefully following these post-operative instructions will minimize discomfort, reduce swelling, protect your surgical graft or implant, and promote rapid tissue recovery.
Slight oozing is normal for 24 hours. Maintain firm, steady pressure on the folded gauze pad for 45-60 minutes. If oozing persists, bite gently on a moistened black tea bag.
Swelling typically peaks on day 2 or 3. Apply an ice pack to the outside of the cheek for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off during the first 24 to 48 hours. Keep your head elevated when resting.
DO NOT drink through a straw, smoke, or spit forcefully for at least 72 hours. Suction pressure can dislodge fragile blood clots, causing bleeding or a painful dry socket.
Stick to cool, soft foods (yogurt, smoothies, scrambled eggs, pasta, mashed potatoes) for the first 3 to 5 days. Avoid hard, crunchy, spicy, or scalding hot foods.
Do NOT pull on your lip or cheek to inspect the surgical site. Stretching the lips can tear delicate sutures and disturb the bone graft membrane.
You may feel small granules like sand in your mouth during the first 48 hours. This is completely normal and represents a few loose excess bone particles washing away.
Do not chew directly over the implant or bone graft site. If you wear a removable partial denture or flipper, only wear it if it was adjusted and cleared by your doctor.
DO NOT BRUSH the grafted teeth or gums for the first 14 days. You may brush all other non-surgical teeth normally. Clean the surgical site by gently bathing it with prescribed chlorhexidine antimicrobial rinse or warm salt water.
If tissue was taken from the roof of your mouth, wear your custom protective stent while eating for the first 5 to 7 days to shield the palate.
CRITICAL: DO NOT BLOW YOUR NOSE for 14 days following surgery. If you need to sneeze, sneeze with your mouth wide open to prevent pressure spikes inside the sinus cavity.
Avoid commercial flying, scuba diving, and playing brass or wind musical instruments for 2 weeks. Minor nasal bleeding on the side of surgery is normal for the first 48 hours.
If you experience continuous heavy bleeding that does not stop with gauze pressure, a fever above 101°F, or severe swelling impairing swallowing or breathing, contact our office immediately.
