Implant Post-Operative Instructions After Oral Surgery

Guidelines to Help Promote Healing and Prevent Complications

• While your mouth is numb, be careful not to bite your cheek, lip, or tongue.

• If your surgeon has left a gauze pack on the surgery site, leave it in for 30-45 minutes. Keep firm pressure on the site. Do not chew on the packing. Do not sleep with any gauze/packings/objects in your mouth.

• Starting the day after surgery, you can use the prescribed mouth rinse and/or salt water rinses. Rinse gently three times a day, after every meal. Do not use any other mouthwash (unless prescribed). Listerine is okay.

• Avoid any foods/drinks too hot or too cold for the next 72 hours. Items that are cooler for the first 72 hours are better (Jello, plan sorbet, plain yogurt, etc). After 72 hours, switch to items that are warmer are better (warm soup, warm broth, etc).

• If a bone graft/implant/jaw surgery was performed, then remain on a soft no-chew diet for six weeks. Avoid hard foods/candies. Doctor will advance your diet.

• Take medication as prescribed. If the pain medication is not working, do not double/increase the dosage. Instead, contact the office. If you were prescribed antibiotics, take them until you finish. If you develop diarrhea, let your oral surgeon know immediately. If sinus surgery was performed, you can ask the pharmacist to give you Afrin Nasal Spray and Sudafed, if you have no contraindications to these medications. Afrin nasal spray can be used for the first three days after surgery to help with nose bleeds. Sudafed can help with sinus congestion.

• Moist black tea bags, like Lipton tea bags, work well for bleeding. Place on surgical site and bite down with firm pressure without talking, chewing, spitting, drooling.

• Pineapple juice/Bromelain Supplements and Arnica can help with bruising and swelling.

  For the Next Week:

• NO smoking, nicotine, alcohol, or spitting. Spitting/drooling aggravates bleeding.

• GET GOOD REST. Sleep with your head elevated & refrain from strenuous physical activities the first week.

• DO NOT brush or manipulate the tissues around the sites. Keep good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing using a water flosser. Amazon sells the Sonic Fusion brush/water flosser which may help.

• STAY HYDRATED. Drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated, especially if you fasted for your surgery. Eat soft, nutritional foods such as eggs, potatoes, yogurts, and protein/ supplemental shakes.

  For Swelling:

Apply ice for 20 minutes at a time (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) to the area of the face/cheek where the procedure was performed for the next three days when swelling will be most prominent. Use ice packs or a frozen bag of peas.

For Stitches:

If stitches/sutures were placed, they will most likely fall out on their own in about a week, unless told otherwise. If they do not fall out, the doctor will remove them during your follow-up appointment.

For Heavy Bleeding:

Place gauze (or a moist black tea bag) over the surgery site. Apply firm pressure for one hour without talking/chewing. After repeating this two times, if the bleeding has not stopped, please contact the office immediately.

DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH OPIOID/BENZODIAZEPINE PRESCRIPTIONS:

Many people suffer from pain. These patients deserve safe and effective pain management. Prescription opioids can help manage some types of pain in the short term. There are serious risks of opioid use disorder and overdose, particularly with high dose, long term use, and co-prescribing a benzodiazepine with an opioid.

Opioids are a broad group of pain-relieving drugs. Opioids will muffle your perception of pain and make you feel pleasure. They can also make you sleepy and slow your breathing. It’s a helpful, dangerous, and highly addictive combination. Common opioids include Codeine, Hydrocodone, Morphine, and Oxycodone. A large number of overdoses involving opioids also involve benzodiazepines. It’s a sedative commonly prescribed for anxiety or to help with insomnia.

Common benzodiazepines are Valium, Xanax and Klonopin. Both prescription opioids and benzodiazepines carry a black box warning label highlighting the danger or using these drugs together. Taking both medications together greatly increases the risk of death. Please inform your doctor about all of the drugs and medications you are using. It’s for your safety.

BEFORE STARTING OPIOIDS TO TREAT PAIN YOU SHOULD CONSIDER:

1. Learn about prescription opioids and use the lowest dose possible.

2. Avoid taking opioids and benzodiazepines concurrently.

3. Evaluate benefits and harms of opioid medications.

4. Consider other ways to manage pain that do not include opioids.

5. Substitute with medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

6. Educate yourself by reading the Center for Disease Control Guidelines.

Alternative Food Suggestions:

AVOID:

Beef, steak, corn on cob, cold cereal, salads, popcorn, candy/chewing gum, hard vegetables, bacon, hard bread, hard fruits/apples, fast food, nuts/pretzels, pizza, ribs.

EAT:

Creamed corn, shaved beef, oatmeal, cream of wheat, creamed soups, broth, mashed potatoes, mashed beans/rice, yogurt, apple sauce, jello, pudding, mashed bananas, ice cream, sorbet, fish, mashed meats/vegetables

Invest in Yourself:

Amazon sells “Sonic Fusion” toothbrush which is a good toothbrush/waterpik combo. Good oral hygiene & nutrition is essential for proper healing. If implant(s) were placed, mix a pinch of salt, tablespoon of baking soda, and couple drops of hydrogen peroxide (enough to make a paste). Rub it around the gums of the site, let it sit for 15 seconds, then rinse or use waterpik/flosser to wash it out. Do this 2-3x per week as a way to help keep the cuff around the implant/crown clean.

If you have prolonged or severe pain, swelling, bleeding, fever, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath, or other concerning symptoms, please go to the nearest Emergency Room.

Otherwise, please feel free to call the office at 301-982-4555 with any questions. After-hours, an oral surgeon can be reached at 301-665-7775. Leave a message and the doctor will get back to you as soon as they can.