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Home Care Instructions

What to Expect After a Cosmetic Reconstruction

After a cosmetic reconstruction, it will take some time to get used to how your bite feels. You’ll likely need several days to adjust to the way that your teeth or their position has changed. If you experience any issues with your bite, give us a call right away (707-800-3556) to schedule an appointment to adjust your reconstruction.

Santa Rosa Dental Braces

Some degree of sensitivity to cold and heat is to be expected while your teeth are healing from the procedure. Your gums might also be sore for the first few days afterwards. You can reduce pain and swelling by using a rinse of 1 tsp salt in a cup of warm water three times daily. If you’re still experiencing discomfort, over the counter pain relievers like Motrin or Ibuprofen may be effective - discuss with Dr. Frey or your doctor before taking over the counter pain relievers.

Your speech may also be affected for a few days. This will change quickly as you adjust to your new bite. It’s also common to experience more salivation than normal, this will also return to normal in around one week.

Mark S. Frey, DDS - Santa Rosa cosmetic dentist

Home Dental Maintenance

You’ll need to continue your daily routine of brushing and flossing. Keeping your new teeth free of plaque is vitally important; you’ll also need to have regular cleanings to keep them in good condition.

Avoid eating foods or chewing on anything that can chip or crack teeth, such as peanut brittle or candied peanuts, ice, pencils or fingernails as well as hard candies. Try to avoid smoking, red wine, coffee, tea and berries, since all of these can stain your new teeth.

If you play sports, we can make a custom mouth guard to protect your teeth. We can also provide you with a night guard if you tend to grind your teeth in your sleep. It takes time to get used to the way that your new smile looks and feels, but we’re happy to help you if you have any questions or concerns.

Home Dental Care After Crown and Bridge Work

Crowns and bridges typically require two to three appointments. At the first appointment, we’ll take molds of your mouth and prepare your teeth for the procedure. We’ll place temporary crowns or bridges to protect your teeth while we make your custom dental restorations. After the appointments, your lips, tongue and the roof of your mouth may still be numb from the anesthetic. Until this completely wears off, avoid hot beverages and foods to prevent burning your mouth.

Temporary crowns can come off occasionally. If this happens to your crown, call us for an appointment. Bring the crown with you so that we can replace it as quickly as possible. The temporary crown needs to stay in place to keep your teeth from moving until your permanent restoration is completed.

You can protect your temporary crown or bridge by staying away from gum or any hard or sticky foods. If you can, chew using the other side of your mouth. Continue brushing as normal, but be careful flossing; don’t pull up on the floss, since this can pull your temporaries out of place. Instead, pull out the floss from the side while you floss around your temporary crown.

After your appointments, you’ll probably experience pressure and temperature sensitivity. This is normal and will subside within the first few weeks after your final restoration is placed. Any pain or discomfort can be managed using over the counter pain relievers as directed by our staff. If you experience persistent pain, your bite is uneven or you have any questions or concerns about your dental care, call us at (707) 800-3556.

After Tooth Extraction

After having a tooth extracted, there will be some bleeding until a clot forms and the healing process begins. This is why you’ll need to bite a gauze pad for the first 30 minutes to an hour after your appointment. If the bleeding continues, replace the gauze pad and bit down firmly for another 30 minutes. You may need to repeat this process several times before the bleeding stops.

After the bleeding stops, you’ll need to be careful not to dislodge the clot. Don’t smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, use straws or rinse vigorously or brush near the extraction site for the next three days to keep the clot in place and promote healing. Keep exercise to a minimum for the first day, since this can increase your blood pressure and lead to bleeding.

Pain and swelling after an extraction is common. Swelling can be reduced with an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables. Take pain relievers as prescribed to control pain and discomfort. Swelling and pain will generally subside after the first two days.

If your medication doesn’t seem to be keeping the pain under control, call our office. If you’ve been prescribed antibiotics, take the entire course of treatment, even after any signs of infection have disappeared. Drink plenty of fluids and eat soft foods. You can eat as soon as it’s comfortable for you to do so.

24 hours after your procedure, you should resume your usual dental care routine. Brush and floss at least once per day to keep your mouth clean and speed up the healing process. In a couple of days you’ll be able to return to your normal daily routine. If you experience severe pain, heavy bleeding, swelling which persists for more than three days or have any reactions to your medications, call us immediately at (707) 800-3556.

Caring for Your New Composite Fillings

If anesthetic has been used while placing your composite fillings, you may experience numbness for several hours afterwards. Avoid chewing or drinking hot beverages until the numbness has completely subsided to avoid burns or biting your tongue or lip.

You may experience some sensitivity to pressure, heat and cold afterwards as well as mild pain at injection sites. Over the counter pain relievers may be prescribed to help alleviate the discomfort. If the pain or sensitivity becomes worse or persists for more than a few days, call our office.

Your new composite fillings are fully set before you leave our office, so you can chew as soon as the numbness wears off completely. If your new bite feels uneven, your pain persists or you have any concerns about your dental care or any home dental maintenance questions, please call us at (707) 800-3556.

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