PRE and POST-OPERATIVE TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Maintaining your oral health is an integral component to maintaining your overall health and well-being. In order to achieve this goal, the doctor has recommended an oral surgical procedure. So that you may better understand and prepare yourself for this therapy, the following information was compiled. Following these recommendations will ensure optimal results with the least amount of discomfort possible, during and after your treatment. Rest assured that our office will do everything we can to keep you completely comfortable during your entire procedure.

Pre-operative instructions:

  • We recommend that you have a light meal prior to your appointment. Please refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages as well as caffeinated beverages.
  • For your relaxation you may bring head­phones.
  • If you are extremely anxious about your procedure, please inquire prior to your appointment if a mild sedative may be suitable for you. This medication will require having someone drive you to and from your appointment.
  • If you are required to pre-medicate with antibiotics prior to dental visits due to pros­thetic joint replacements or heart conditions, please be sure to discuss this with the doctor.
  • If you are taking any blood thinners (ie­Eliquis, Coumadin, etc) please inform our office prior to your visit as dosages may need to be modified.

Post-operative instructions:

  • You will be numb for the next 1-2 hours. Avoid any scalding hot liquids/ foods.
  • Rest and relax for the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery. Avoid excessive physical activity such as exercise and yard work for the first few days.
  • Take all your medications as directed. Pain and inflammation will start today and peak at 72 hours (3 days) after the procedure. Take 800mg Ibuprofen (if prescribed).
  • Antibiotics: If antibiotics are prescribed, take them as directed until all have been taken. Antibiotics may cause stomach upset or if a rash or any type of allergic response should occur while taking antibiotics, dis­continue taking them and call the doctor.
  • After having oral surgery some degree of swelling and/ or bruising is normal. During the first 12 to 24 hours, it will be very help­ful to keep an ice pack on your cheek over the surgical area. It is recommended to alternate 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. If swelling is noted after 24 hours, place a warm compress (warm towel) on the cheek.
  • We strongly advise that you DO NOT SMOKE at all during the first 72 hours after surgery. Smoking can increase post­operative pain and lead to poor healing.
  • Sutures are commonly placed in the sur­gical area and you may feel them with your tongue. They will either dissolve on their own or they will be removed one to two weeks following your treatment. Do not try to remove your own sutures. Call the office if sutures come loose. Do not play with the suture with your tongue, since that will cause less than optimal results.
  • Avoid rinsing for the first 24 hours and refrain from brushing the surgical area for 2 weeks. You may brush and floss the remaining teeth and rinse GENTLY with warm salt water ( one teaspoon of salt in 8oz. warm water) after meals and at bed­time. This will help freshen your mouth and remove any food particles which may accumulate.
  • You may be given a prescription mouth­wash called Peridex. Instructions for use: Dilute half cap of the mouthwash with half cap of water and hold at the surgical site for 10 seconds, then expectorate into the sink. Do not swish the peridex, just hold it at the surgical site. Repeat 3 times/day or after meals. Do not use the peridex for more than 2 weeks unless told otherwise by the doctor.
  • Please keep in mind that PERIDEX CAN STAIN TEETH!!
  • During the first 24 hours you can expect to see red or pink colored saliva. If this does occur you can moisten a tea bag (no herbal tea bags) under warm water and apply it with a light pressure directly to the surgical area.
  • Please follow a diet of softer foods for the entire week following surgery and DO NOT DRINK FROM A STRAW. Avoid foods containing small seeds and harder foods which may irritate the surgical area.

If you have any of the following prolonged symptoms, please contact our office immediately:

  • Excessive bleeding from the surgical area Excessive pain and/or swelling
  • Elevated temperature
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Itchiness, welts or red spots on the skin anywhere on the body

These may be symptoms of an allergic reaction to a medication.

Post LANAP Treatment Instructions

The first 2 weeks following Laser Therapy, follow a soft diet to allow healing. Foods that could be cut with a fork and do not crunch when chewed are ideal. The purpose of this is to protect the clot that is acting as a “band-aid” between the gums and the teeth. Do not drink through a straw, as this creates a vacuum in your mouth that can disturb the “band-aid”. You may gradually return back to your regular diet two weeks after your therapy.

Please remember that even after ten days healing is not complete. The first month following treatment you should continue to make smart food choices. Softer foods are better.

Please take Over the Counter Multi-Vitamins for at least a month following your LANAP procedure.

Diet Suggestions for a Soft Diet:

  • Cream of wheat, Oatmeal, Malt O Meal
  • Mashed Avocado, Applesauce
  • Mashed Potatoes or Baked Potatoes – OK with butter/sour cream
  • Mashed Banana or any mashed/blended fruit except berries with seeds
  • Broth or Creamed Soup
  • Mashed steamed vegetables
  • Mashed Yams, Baked Sweet Potato or Butternut squash
  • Cottage cheese Cream or Soft cheese
  • Creamy peanut butter without solid pieces
  • Eggs any style, with or without melted cheese
  • Omelets can have cheese and avocado
  • Jell-O, Pudding, Ice Cream, Yogurt
  • Milkshake/smoothies/nutritional drinks (Ensure, Slim fast) – DO NOT blend with berries containing seeds

DON’T Chew gum, candy, cookies, chips, nuts, anything hard or crunchy, anything that has seeds or hard pieces, meat that shreds and can lodge under the gum and between teeth, raw vegetables/salad.

BRUSHING: Don’t brush the treated area for the first week after treatment, use mouth rinse only.

Smokers/Tobacco Users Warnings:

Tobacco has a very large effect on your gums and the disease you have in them. Tobacco is associated with an increased disease rate in terms of loss of the bone and gums that are holding your teeth in, as well as an increase in the space between the gums and teeth. Tobacco is a major factor for chronic gum disease.

Any type of smoking and/or chewing tobacco will have an adverse effect on the progress of your healing and may cause the gum disease to re-occur after treatment. If you are a smoker or chew tobacco we highly recommend not to do so while you are healing or anytime after that.