MEDICATION – You may have been prescribed all or some of the following medications based on individual needs.

Ibuprofen 800mg - You have been given a prescription for 800 Mg Ibuprofen, which is an anti-inflammatory analgesic. Please take one tab every 8 hours for the first 3 days. This drug will greatly decrease the possibility of post-surgical swelling and pain and has been shown to accelerate healing. 

For discomfort, the combination of (1) Extra Strength Tylenol (500mg) and (1) 800 mg Ibuprofen taken every 6-8 hours as needed, should keep you comfortable. 

Norco 5/325mg - Should intense discomfort occur at any time after the surgery, please take the Hydrocodone (Norco) that has been prescribed to you.  Follow the instructions on your medication bottle.  You may take both Norco and the Ibuprofen together. Their analgesic effect will be synergistic.

Medrol Dose Pack 4mg - This medication is a short course steroid that will greatly help with healing and reduce swelling and inflammation.

*Instructions for Medrol Dose Pack*  

Antibiotics:  It is VERY important for your healing that you take your antibiotics as directed and take all of the medication prescribed. You will be given Amoxicillin Oral Tablet 500 MG #21.  Take one tablet by mouth three times a day until gone.  If you are allergic to Amoxicillin you will be given Zithromax Z-Pak Oral Tablet 250mg #1. Take 2 tabs by mouth the first day, on days 2-5 take one tab per day.

Women: Antibiotics can render birth control ineffective. They can also put you at risk of yeast infection or upset stomach. You could take probiotics with your antibiotics to minimize this. If you get diarrhea from your antibiotics, discontinue and call us right away. It is important to take all the entire prescription of antibiotics.

Swelling or bruising around the operated area is very normal.  A reusable ice bag or a frozen vegetable bag, wrapped in a soft towel, may be applied to the area of surgery to help minimize the swelling of your face.  Alternating 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off will usually be adequate during the first 24-48 hours after surgery. Do not ice more than 20 minitues at a time. Keeping your head elevated above your heart will also help.  One to two days after surgery, moist heat will help resolve minor swelling.  

 

Elevate: Keeping your head elevated above your heart will also help. One to two days after surgery, moist heat will help resolve minor swelling.  

Sensitivity: You may experience some tooth sensitivity after surgery, especially to cold.  Sensitivity usually decreases within several weeks after surgery and can be minimized by keeping the area as free of plaque as possible.  If the sensitivity is extreme, contact our Surgical Care Coordinator  for recommendations or medications to relieve the discomfort. 

Chewing: Please chew on the opposite side of your mouth (if possible) and try to avoid the grafting sites as much as possible.

Be sure to keep your post-operative appointment to check healing and allow for removal of sutures.

Bleeding: Minor bleeding, such as a pinkish tinge to your saliva, may occur during the first 48 hours following surgery.  Avoid extremely hot foods for the rest of the day and do NOT rinse out your mouth, as these will often prolong the bleeding.  If bleeding continues, apply light pressure to the area with a moistened gauze or moistened tea bag.  Keep in place for 20-30 minutes without looking to see if bleeding has stopped.  (NO PEEKING!)  If further bleeding occurs or increases, please call our Surgical Care Coordinator as soon as possible.  If you cannot reach out Surgical Care Coordinator, or it is after hours and you are concerned about bleeding, please go to your local emergency room.  Avoid any strenuous physical activity for the next 4 to 5 days to prevent or minimize severe bleeding.

Eating / Diet: Please follow a soft food diet, taking care to avoid the surgical area(s) when chewing for 4-7 days after surgery.  Chew on the opposite side (if possible) and do NOT bite into food if the procedure was done in the front of the mouth.  Avoid sticky, hard (such as ice cubes, nuts, popcorn, chips), brittle, spicy, highly seasoned, or acidic foods in your diet. 

You will be more comfortable eating soft foods for several days following your surgery. Soft foods including applesauce, yogurt, pudding, jello, ice cream, scrambled eggs, pasta, mashed or baked potatoes, fish, soup, cottage cheese, soft cooked vegetables, soups, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese and fruit smoothies (without seeds) are some suggestions.  Be sure to maintain adequate nutrition and drink plenty of fluids. 

Avoid alcohol as it is a blood thinner and can cause bleeding. Smoking, including vaping is not advised during the 7-14 days following surgery.

BRUSHING - Do not brush the surgical sites or rinse, spit, swish, smoke, drink through a straw, or suck on anything for the first 24 hours after surgery. After 24 hours, begin rinsing twice daily with mouthwash, but continue avoiding brushing the surgical areas for the first 7 days. You may gently soak the area with warm salt water (¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water). The exposed areas can be gently swabbed with a Q-tip dipped in water or mouthwash at bedtime, in the morning, and after meals. After one week, start gentle soft brushing of the surgical sites for 3 days, then gradually resume normal brushing, being careful not to brush the surgical areas too hard. Continue regular brushing and hygiene in all untreated areas.  Do NOT use an electric toothbrush in the surgical area until after your post op appointment!

STENT: If you are instructed to wear a clear stent or an upper denture that covers up the roof of the mouth, do NOT REMOVE it for 24 hours NO MATTER WHAT!  It may pool with blood, but leave it in there and just swoosh with warm salt water or mouth wash. After 24 hours you are to wear it as much as you please, especially while you eat for your comfort.  When putting the stent back in, place a small amount of Vaseline on the part of the stent that touches the wound to prevent it from sticking to the wound.

Please do NOT play with the surgery area with your fingers or tongue. Do NOT pull down the lip or cheek to look at the area and do not have someone else look at the area.  Just LEAVE IT ALONE! 

Do NOT use a drinking straw, as the suction may dislodge the blood clot. Avoid extremely hot foods.  Cold foods such as ice cream or shake are OK as long as you use a spoon.

Activity: Tissue graft patients do not exercise 4-5 days following your surgery. 

Arnica Gel/Cream: Apply gel to the outside of the face 3 times a day over the area that was treated.  Continue for several days after surgery. to help reduce bruising.  Arnica gel can be purchased at CVS and like stores.

Eating: You may eat softer foods, no seeds or any food that is crunchy, sticky, chewy or hard.  Please see the list of foods below:

Foods To Avoid Following Dental Surgery:

Tomatoes or tomato sauce – acidic and may burn or cause pain immediately after dental surgery
Orange Juice – be cautious with OJ or any other acidic juices. They may cause burning or pain if ingested too soon after dental surgery.
Seeds – anything seedy may get stuck in a surgery site and cause discomfort or get infected.
Cracked Pepper – much like a seed this can get lodged and cause pain.
Popcorn – the corn hulls can become lodged
Spicy Foods – may lead to pain and discomfort
Crunchy or Difficult to Chew Foods – these foods may interfere with the blood clotting following dental surgery
Comprehensive List of Foods To Eat After Dental Surgery:

Comprehensive List of Foods To Eat After Dental Surgery:
 
Applesauce
Avocado
Baked Apples
Bananas
Biscuits – flakey, soft or soaked to become soft after surgery biscuit
Broccoli – steamed soft
Broth
Butternut Squash – cooked soft
Carnation Instant Breakfast Drinks
Carrots -steamed soft
Casseroles
Cheese
Cheesecake
Cold Cereal – soaked in milk until soft
Cottage Cheese
Cake
Canned Peas
Cream of wheat – maybe a little to grainy depending on the type of dental surgery.
Crème Brule
Cupcake
Custard
Doughnuts
Ensure / Protien Drinks
Eggs (poached, fried or scrambled)
Egg Noodles
Egg Salad
Fettuccine
Fish (no bones)
Frozen Yogurt
Fruit Juice
Fruit – soft or grind (no seeds)
Gravy
Ground Turkey
Ground Beef/Pork
Ground Chicken
Guacamole
Humus
Ice cream
Jell-O
Juice vegetable
Macaroni and cheese
Malt-0-meal
Mangos
Mashed potatoes
Matzo Ball Soup
Meatloaf
Meatballs
Melons (Very Ripe)
Milk Shake – Avoid using a straw
Miso Soup
Mousse
Muffins
Oatmeal
Pancakes
Pasta
Pies
Polenta
Pot roast with vegetables – cooked to falling apart
Probiotics
Protein Powder – can be added to any liquid meal for added energy and healing
Pudding
Ramen Noodles
Refried Beans
Ricotta cheese
Risotto
Rice
Sandwich Meats
Sherbet
Smoothies ( No seeds)
Soft bread – soak in soup
Souffle
Soup
Spaghetti
Spinach
Steamed Vegetables
Sweet Potatoes
Tapioca Pudding
Tea
Tofu
Tuna Salad
Waffles
Yellow Squash
Yogurt

Dental Prosthesis -  Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures should not be used after surgery unless otherwise advised by your doctor. These may need to be adjusted at or after your first post-operative return visit.

 

Night Guards:  Night guards can be worn only if the appliance does not touch the surgical site.  For example, if you have an upper night guard, but had tissue grafts on the lower, it is okay to wear it.  It is NOT okay if the night guard will touch any of the surgical areas.  If that is the case, you may resume wearing your night guard after your post operative appointment unless told otherwise by Dr. Reyes.

Post-Op Visits - It is important to return for your post-op visit, generally scheduled 4 weeks after treatment. Contact Dorien  if you have questions or problems before that time.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR AFTER CARE:

Please do not reach out to the dental office as we are a traveling surgical team, and we are trained to answer your questions, give advice and are educated on what is normal and what is not. Text or call Dorien, our surgical post operative nurse at (530) 410-3356.

Please be patient when waiting for a reply, especially on the weekends.  We will get back to you!