Post-Operative Instructions

Post-Operative instructions are given at the time of surgery, but we have provided copies of post-operative instructions for some of our more common procedures for your convenience. If your procedure is not listed below or if you have any questions, please contact our office at (217) 383-3280 or (217) 383-OMFS (6637).

Procedures:

• Tooth Extraction
• Implant Placement
• Intraoral Biopsy
• Skin Biopsy/Facial Laceration Repair
• Sinus Lift
• Nasal Fracture Repair
• Ivy Loop, Arch Bar (Wire) or Composite Splint Placement or Removal
• Oral and Maxillofacial Liquid Diet

Post-Operative Instructions Following Tooth Extraction

Activity

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• The patient must be accompanied home and supervised by a responsible adult for at least two hours following surgery.
• Rest is recommended for the remainder of the day.
• Normal activities may be resumed the following day as tolerated.

Restrictions

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• No alcohol consumption or driving for 24 hours.
• Do not wear contact lenses for 24 hours following surgery.
• No breast-feeding for 12 hours after sedation.
• All surgical patients should not smoke, rinse or spit for 24 hours.

Bleeding

• Gauze should be placed over the extraction site and pressure applied by biting down.
• To prepare the gauze, moisten it with tap water, roll it up, fold it over, and place over the surgical site.
• Keep gauze packs in place for three to four hours or until bleeding subsides, changing at one-hour intervals as needed.
• Minimal bleeding is expected.
• If bleeding has not decreased in two to three hours following these instructions, bite on a dampened tea bag placed directly over the surgical site. The tannic acid in the tea helps blood clot.
• If you have any concerns about your bleeding please consult our office.

Swelling

• Apply ice to jaws for 20 minutes on/20 minutes off, for four to six hours.
• The ice packs provided to you are ice filled zip-lock bags.
• Replace ice in the bag as needed, wrapping a towel or cloth around it.
• Maximum swelling is expected within 36-48 hours and may last for several days.
• Ice after 24 hours is not beneficial.
• If the swelling is significant you may use moist heat compresses to help reduce it. The less swelling, the less pain.

Medications

• Post-operative pain will be the most severe the first day after surgery.
• Take prescribed medications as directed or use acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin for mild to moderate discomfort.
• It is beneficial to take your pain medication before your numbness wears off.
• Do not take pain medication with an empty stomach or you may become nauseated.
• Pain medication should be taken with food or milk products.
• Do not consume alcohol or drive when taking prescribed pain medication.

Diet

• Follow an adequate diet to heal as quickly as possible.
• Patients who have been sedated are advised to begin with clear liquids, then progress to full liquids (milk products such as milkshakes or creamed soups) until the feeling returns, then advance to a soft to normal diet as tolerated.
• Be aware that at first hot temperatures are not felt due to numbness.
• Remove gauze when eating or drinking.
• Do not drink from straws for 24 hours.

Oral Hygiene

• Do not rinse or spit for 24 hours after surgery.
• The day following surgery brush your teeth and rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoonful of salt dissolved in a glass of water) after each meal and as needed.
• Dissolvable sutures may loosen with brushing and minimal bleeding may occur.

Sinus Precautions

If the sinus is entered during surgery, please follow the instructions below:

• No nose blowing for one week.
• Do not blow a wind instrument for one week.

Special Considerations

• Trismus (stiffness) of the muscles may cause difficulty in opening your mouth for a period of days. Anti-inflammatory medications and moist heat compresses to the jaw(s) can minimize this condition.
• You may experience aching of your other teeth. This discomfort is caused by referred pain and is a temporary condition.
• It is not unusual to develop bruising in the area of an extraction.
• There may be a slight elevation of temperature for 24 - 48 hours. If the fever persists, please contact our office.
• Sutures used during surgery usually dissolve in 7 - 10 days.
• You may be instructed to avoid playing wind instruments for a short time after your dental surgery.

Dry Socket

• A dry socket is the loss of the blood clot in the socket. This condition creates a delayed healing at the extraction site and presents symptoms such as pain in the ear, chin, adjacent teeth, and jaw. The discomfort usually begins about the third or fourth day after surgery and can last for many days. The cause of a dry socket is unknown but can be attributed to the difficulty of the surgery, increased age, medications such as birth control pills, and smoking. Treatment is for the symptoms only.

Activity

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• The patient must be accompanied home and supervised by a responsible adult for at least two hours following surgery.
• Rest is recommended for the remainder of the day.
• Normal activities may be resumed the following day as tolerated.

Restrictions

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• No alcohol consumption or driving for 24 hours.
• Do not wear contact lenses for 24 hours following surgery.
• No breast-feeding for 12 hours after sedation.
• All surgical patients should not smoke, rinse or spit for 24 hours.

Bleeding

• Gauze should be placed over the surgical site and pressure applied by biting down.
• To prepare the gauze, moisten it with tap water, roll it up, fold it over, and place over the surgical site.
• Keep gauze packs in place for three to four hours or until bleeding subsides, changing at one-hour intervals as needed.
• Minimal bleeding is expected.
• If bleeding has not decreased in two to three hours following these instructions, bite on a dampened tea bag placed directly over the surgical site. The tannic acid in the tea helps blood clot.
• If you have any concerns about your bleeding please consult our office.

Swelling

• Apply ice to jaws for 20 minutes on/20 minutes off, for four to six hours.
• The ice packs provided to you are ice filled zip-lock bags.
• Replace ice in the bag as needed, wrapping a towel or cloth around it.
• Maximum swelling is expected within 36-48 hours and may last for several days.
• Ice after 24 hours is not beneficial.
• If the swelling is significant you may use moist heat compresses to help reduce it. The less swelling, the less pain.

Medications

• Post-operative pain will be the most severe the first day after surgery.
• Take prescribed medications as directed or use acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin for mild to moderate discomfort.
• It is beneficial to take your pain medication before your numbness wears off.
• Do not take pain medication with an empty stomach or you may become nauseated.
• Pain medication should be taken with food or milk products.
• Do not consume alcohol or drive when taking prescribed pain medication.
• Take your antibiotics as directed and until finished.

Diet

• Follow an adequate diet to heal as quickly as possible.
• Patients who have been sedated are advised to begin with clear liquids, then progress to full liquids (milk products such as milkshakes or creamed soups) until the feeling returns, then advance to a soft to normal diet as tolerated.
• Be aware that at first hot temperatures are not felt due to numbness.
• Remove gauze when eating or drinking.
• Do not drink from straws for 24 hours.

Oral Hygiene

• Do not rinse or spit for 24 hours after surgery.
• The day following surgery brush your teeth and rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoonful of salt dissolved in a glass of water) after each meal and as needed.
• Dissolvable sutures may loosen with brushing and minimal bleeding may occur.
• If a one-stage implant was placed (you can actually see the metal post protruding from the gum tissue), it can be cleaned with a Q-tip dipped in Listerine or any other antimicrobial mouth rinse.

Sinus Precautions

If the sinus is entered during surgery, please follow the instructions below:

• No nose blowing for one week.
• Do not blow a wind instrument for one week.

Special Considerations

• Trismus (stiffness) of the muscles may cause difficulty in opening your mouth for a period of days. Anti-inflammatory medications and moist heat compresses to the jaw(s) can minimize this condition.
• There may be a slight elevation of temperature for 24 - 48 hours. If the fever persists, please contact our office.
• Sutures used during surgery usually dissolve in 7 - 10 days.

Activity

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• The patient must be accompanied home and supervised by a responsible adult for at least two hours following surgery.
• Rest is recommended for the remainder of the day.
• Normal activities may be resumed the following day as tolerated.

Restrictions

These instructions only apply if you have been given intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

• Do not consume alcohol or drive for 24 hours.
• Do not wear contact lenses for 24 hours following surgery.
• No breast-feeding for 12 hours after sedation.

Medications

• Take prescribed medications as directed or use acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin for mild to moderate discomfort.
• It is beneficial to take your pain medication before your numbness wears off.
• Do not take pain medication on an empty stomach or you may become nauseated.
• Pain medication should be taken with food or milk products.
• Do not consume alcohol consumption or drive when taking prescribed pain medication.

Swelling

• Apply ice to jaws for 20 minutes on/20 minutes off for 4 to 6 hours.
• The ice packs provided to you are ice-filled zip lock bags.
• Replace ice in the bag as needed, wrapping a towel or cloth around it.
• Maximum swelling is expected within 36-48 hours and may last for several days.
• Ice after 24 hours is not beneficial.
• If the swelling is significant you may use moist heat compresses to help reduce it.

Diet

• Patients that have been sedated are advised to begin with clear liquids then progress to full liquids (milk products such as milkshakes or creamed soups) until the feeling returns, then advance to a soft to normal diet as tolerated.
• Note that at first hot temperatures are not felt due to numbness.
• Avoid acidic foods (pickles, lemonade) and difficult foods to chew such as pretzels, popcorn, chips, etc.
• Eating cool foods may be better tolerated.

Oral Hygiene

• If sutures were placed inside the mouth, they will dissolve or fall out in one to two weeks.
• Avoid sucking through a straw or smoking for 24 hours.
• Rinse mouth out with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in a glass of warm water) three to four times a day.
• Brush your teeth and gums gently as tolerated.

Post-Operative Instructions for Skin Biopsies and Facial Lacerations

Clean area with a mixture of half water and half hydrogen peroxide three to four times a day to remove all the scabbing and crusting from the wound.

• For the first three days apply a thin coating of antibiotic ointment after removing the crusting. Leave the wound exposed to air.
• The wound should not become excessively wet. Use care when showering. No swimming until the skin sutures are removed.
• If the area is exposed to sunlight, use a SPF-15 sun block at the site for at least the next six months.