Home Care After Periodontal Therapy

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Home Care After Periodontal Therapy

After your periodontal surgery appointment, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours, avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off. Don’t eat anything for two hours following surgery, it’s normal to experience some discomfort for several days after surgery. To control discomfort take pain medication as recommended. Don’t take medication on an empty stomach or nausea may be a result.

Apply an ice pack, twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off, for six hours following surgery to decrease pain and swelling, after twenty-four hours, to further reduce pain and swelling, rinse three times a day with warm salted water. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. Some slight bleeding is normal for a day or so following surgery. If bleeding persists, apply firm pressure with a gauze pad or bite on a tea bag for twenty minutes and elevate your head with pillows.

Call our office if this doesn’t control bleeding or increases.

For the first forty-eight hours, restrict your diet to soft foods such as yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese and soups until you can chew comfortably. Relax as much as possible and avoid all strenuous activity for the first twenty-four hours following surgery. Continue your normal home-care routine in the non-treated areas. You may gently rinse around the treated area with warm water or mouthwash, but frequent or vigorous rinsing must be avoided until healing has taken place.

Call us if pain or swelling persists or if you have any questions or concerns.