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FAQ
General Instructions for Certain Procedures and Treatments.
Scaling and Root Planing
After
the periodontal procedure of scaling and root planing, it is best to
rinse your mouth 2-3 times per day with warm salt water (One tsp salt /
8 oz. water). You should start home care immediately, although you
should be extremely gentle with the treated areas. If you feel
discomfort in the gum tissue where you had treatment, Advil, Aleve or
Tylenol may be taken for relief. The treated teeth may be sensitive to
hot and cold. It is best to refrain from eating any hard or chewy foods
for the next 48-72 hours while the treated area begins to heal. You may
also experience some swelling or jaw stiffness and if this does occur,
placing a cold compress on the swelling or a hot towel on the stiffness
will help. Smoking should be terminated for a period of 48-72 hours
following these procedures, and one may even take this opportunity to
stop smoking altogether. Please contact the office if any pain or
swelling persists.
Temporary Crowns
Your
temporary, provisional crowns are created to approximate the shape and
contour of your permanent crowns being fabricated by our laboratory.
However, they are indeed “temporary.” They are made of special
plastic, and while they are strong enough to chew regular food, they
will not stand up to fingernail biting, chewing gum and opening bottles
of wine. These little handcrafted gems also hold your teeth in the
proper dimension of space. Your teeth will shift if the temporary is
allowed to become loose or removed altogether, thus making your
permanent crown not fit properly. It is important to continue your
home care regimen for the involved teeth, taking extra care to not
“pull up” on the floss around your temporary crowns as this will
dislodge them. Pull the floss “through” the contact area instead.
Sticky foods, chewing gum and candy in general will also loosen your
temporaries and are to be avoided. Chewing gum “on the other side” is
not an option. Temporaries will not become loose unless one of these
Temporary Laws is broken.
If your
provisional crown or bridge comes off or becomes loose, this is not
usually an emergency as it can temporarily be replaced in this manner:
1. Carefully note the exact manner the temporary fits over the teeth in question. Practice this once.
2. Dry the inside of the temporary, and as best you can, the tooth in question as well.
3. Place a dab of white toothpaste inside the temporary (Regular Crest, Colgate).
4. Place
the temporary on your tooth and gently press it into position with a
finger. It is best not to “bite” it into position as you may break
it. Breaking it is not good. Rinse away the excess toothpaste.
We will need to see you ASAP to re-bond your provisional crown with dental cement.
Root Canal Therapy
Depending on the previous condition of the tooth and the treatment required during root canal therapy, your tooth may be sore for 7 to 10 days. There is no cause for alarm, as this is a common consequence of root canal therapy. Discomfort following today’s treatment does not affect the successful outcome of treatment. While the tooth is tender, avoid chewing in the treated area. Should you have severe discomfort or persistent swelling, please contact the office.
Post Op Instructions:
• Unless you have an allergy to ibuprofen (Advil), have been instructed by a physician not to take ibuprofen, or already have prescription pain medication, you may want to follow these instructions:
• To help reduce the tenderness or discomfort, begin immediately taking three (total of 600 mg) or four (total 800 mg) ibuprofen three times a day for three to five days.
• If an antibiotic was prescribed, it is important to take all of the medication.
• If you feel you are having an allergic reaction to the medication (such as a skin rash, itching, hives, or breathing difficulty), you should contact this office immediately.
• Warm salt water rinses are helpful (1 teaspoon salt in 1 cup warm water, rinse 1 minute 2 times a day).
• Do not chew on the tooth until all the tenderness is gone.
You may notice a medicinal taste between appointments. This is due to the penetrating quality of the medication in the tooth and is not harmful.
It is normal for a thin layer of temporary filling to wear away. This will be removed and replaced at the next appointment. If all of the temporary filling comes out, call this office. If any other questions or problems arise, please do not hesitate to call.
Extractions
It is normal for minor bleeding to occur for the first 24 hours following surgery. If slightly heavier bleeding occurs:
1. Place a piece of gauze over the surgery site.
2. Bite firmly on the gauze for at least 30 minutes. Do not chew on it.
3. If the bleeding continues, call the office
4. Do not drink through a straw during the first 48 hours.
Rinsing will be important when performed properly:
1. Do not spit or rinse the surgical area on the day of the surgery..
2. The day after surgery you may gently rinse with warm salt water (one tsp salt/8 oz. water).
3. You may brush your teeth and your tongue after the surgery. Be careful of the surgical site.
Hungry? You
should start with liquids and very soft foods for the first 24-48 hours
following the surgery. If the area feels a little better, you can then
move on to a normal diet. Be careful of chewing on hard foods near the
surgical area.
It is normal to experience some degree of swelling.
If you do
experience swelling, you can place ice over your face for 20-30 minutes
at a time during the first 24 hours. This should help to reduce pain
and swelling. Do not apply ice after the first 36 hours.
If you feel
discomfort, it is recommended you take Advil, Aleve or Tylenol to ease
the pain. If the pain persists, please contact our office.
Fillings
Your
tooth-colored restorations are very tough and strong and ready for
chewing as soon as the anesthetic effect has dissipated. You should
not have to “get used to” a new filling in terms of how your teeth fit
together, though it is possible for teeth to be slightly more sensitive
to hot and cold for a small period of time. Do continue to floss and
brush normally around your new fillings or other restorations, unless
they are temporary crowns as discussed earlier. While rare, please
call us if your new filling feels “high.”
Occlusal Appliance Care
Your
flat-plane appliance (“splint or biteguard”) is designed to
dramatically decrease tension and stress in your chewing and
jaw-positioning muscles, and sometimes used to stabilize mobile
teeth. As these muscles relax, less pressure is applied to the bones
and disc of your temporo-mandibular joint, allowing these to sit in a
more natural, healthy position. Especially at first wearing of your
appliance, the TM joint can temporarily make more sounds as the muscles
decrease their tension and the internal disk sits in a better
position. So that your appliance is as effective as possible and if no
increase in discomfort is occurring, do continue to wear it as
instructed until the next adjustment appointment.
1. Clean your appliance with your toothbrush in the morning, allowing it to air dry.
2. Do not let
any pets, especially dogs, near your appliance. Dogs love to share in
the joy of your new “chew bone” and will gleefully crunch it to bits in seconds.
3. As your
joints relax, your appliance must be modified to reflect your more
relaxed jaw position. If you stop wearing your appliance before it may
be adjusted in our office, your joints and muscles will revert back to their
unhealthy position and this will slow your treatment.
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Emergency Care
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Dr.
Marion may be reached, by patients of record as well as their friends and family, for emergencies after
hours by calling his pager at 770-707-5530 and leaving a detailed
message including your name, phone number, and the nature of your
problem. He will contact you as soon as possible. If you have been
referred to us by a friend or relative, please let us know in your
message.
We will not prescribe any medications to patients who are not in our records.
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