Dental Advice

Pre-Operative Care
Pre-operative care in dentistry is very rarely required. It is individualized to each patient's medical needs, depending on their medical history.

Examples of pre-operative care include:

• Antibiotics for medical conditions such as heart murmurs, intravenous shunts, and joint replacements.
• A change to medication or modification of dosage for a period of time such as immune suppressive drugs or anticoagulation therapies.
• Recovery in a hyperbaric chamber to ensure proper healing.

Determining requirements for pre-operative care is one of the reasons why having and updating the medical status of the patients is essential.

Post-Operative Care
Post operative care in dentistry involves dealing with the body’s response to trauma.
Expectations differ for various procedures. The most common procedures requiring post-operative instructions are outlined below:

Fillings, Crown & Bridge:

• All fillings and crowns are usually sensitive to hot and cold for a few days after any work has been done. The teeth are essentially “bruised” from heat, vibration and exposure of the sensitive portion of the teeth.
• The amount of trauma that the tooth sustains is dependent upon the depth of the filling, the length of the appointment and the location of the filling.
• The treated tooth should get progressively better over the 48 hours following your appointment.
• If in any case you do not notice improvement over this period of time, contact your dentist for a follow up appointment.

Root Canal:

• Usually the tooth treated with root canal is sensitive to pressure for a number of days following completion of the procedure. This is natural and reflects the body’s ability to cope with the debris and infection being replaced in the canal with filling material.
• If you experience swelling or spontaneous throbbing pain after completion of the procedure, notify your Dentist in order that they can provide assistance for healing of infection.

Surgery:

• Individualized instructions will be provided at the conclusion of your surgical appointment. The main objective following surgery is to limit inflammation and enable the blood clot to stabilize.
• On the day of the surgery, care should be taken to ensure that the healing clot is protected and does not dislodge. Avoid activities that create suction in the mouth such as excess spitting, use of a straw, rinsing or smoking. Avoid also introduction of hard foods, and any strenuous activity that will raise blood pressure.
• On the day following surgery, normal activities, brushing and rinsing with salt water can be introduced.
• Inflammation will peak at 2-3 days following surgery. Ice packs and anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen can be helpful in reducing healing discomfort.
• Healing times vary from patient to patient, depending on their age and overall state of health.
• Anything that seems out of the ordinary such as increased pain, swelling or discharge from the surgical site should prompt a call to the Doctor who performed the surgery.