Patient Resources

Refrain from eating for at least 2 hours and until the anesthesia has worn off to prevent possible injury to your lips and cheeks. This time interval will also allow the temporary filling to set to a reasonable hardness.
We expect your tooth to be sore to chewing and biting pressure so you should avoid very hard or chewy foods. This should gradually decrease within 7-10 days after treatment.
Be sure to take any antibiotic medication prescribed for you, as it will help the area to heal. An analgesic may also be recommended for your comfort and can be taken as directed
To protect the tooth and keep the temporary in place, avoid eating hard and sticky foods (gum) and if possible, chew on the opposite side of your mouth. Continue to brush and floss normally.
A crown or other final restoration should be placed within a short time interval after root canal therapy is completed unless we have advised you otherwise.

• Do not eat until anesthesia has worn off, and for at least 2 hours
• Sensitivity, especially to cold, is common for a time following treatment
• Plastic temporary restorations will serve you for a short period of time while your permanent veneer is being made. They are attached only slightly to the underlying tooth so they can be removed easily. Avoid chewing foods such as gum or taffy.
• If a veneer comes off, call us and we will replace it immediately. If you are in a situation that will not allow you to come in, place the temporary back in place with some Fixodent™ (denture adhesive). You must still see us as soon as possible.
• The size, shape, and color of the temporary does not resemble the final veneer.
• Temporary veneers may leak saliva or food onto the tooth. Sensitivity to hot, cold, pressure, or sweets is not uncommon. You may also see stains under the temporaries. These will be removed prior to final cementation.
• Avoid heavy brushing of the temporaries and do not floss between them because you may pull them off.
• Your final porcelain veneers will be as close to the natural beauty and function of teeth as possible. They look and feel normal in every way.

Please refrain from eating at least for 2 hours and until the anesthesia has worn off.

A temporary is a crown or bridge that is placed on the prepared teeth while the final restoration is being made. It protects the exposed dentin, so it is not sensitive, prevents food and bacteria from collecting on prepared teeth, and prevent the tooth from shifting and moving, which can make seating of the final restoration more difficult.

Temporaries are not strong. They may break or come off occasionally. If so, slip it back on the tooth with some Fixodent™ (Denture Adhesive) and call us for an appointment. Please do not leave the temporary out of your mouth, for an extended period because the teeth will move and the final restoration will not fit.

• The size, shape, and color of the temporary does not resemble the final restoration.
• Temporary restorations may leak saliva or food onto the tooth. Sensitivity to hot, cold, pressure, or sweets is not uncommon. If you feel the bite is not correctly balanced, please call for an appointment for a simple adjustment.

Permanent Crowns

After the final cementation of your restoration, it may take a few days to get used to the new crown or bridge. Hot and cold sensitivity is possible for a few weeks and occasionally lasts for several months. As with the temporary, if the bite doesn’t feel balanced please call us.

• Do not chew hard or sticky foods on the restoration for 24 hours from the time they were cemented. The cement must set up during this time to have optimum strength.
• Proper brushing, flossing, and regular 6-month (minimal) cleanings are required to help you retain your final restoration. The only area that a crowned tooth can decay is at the edge of the crown at the gum line. Often, small problems that develop around the restorations can be found at an early stage and corrected easily, but waiting for a longer time may require redoing the entire restoration.
• Approximately 1 out of every 100 porcelain crowns chip and may need replacement.

Once we have restored your teeth with tooth-colored materials, these restorations will serve you well for several years. The resin (plastic) material used contains small “filler” particles of glass-like material for strength and wear resistance. They contain the finest and most up-to-date materials available today. However, you should be aware of the following information about your new restorations:

• As with natural teeth, avoid chewing excessively hard foods on the filled teeth (hard candy, ice, raw carrots, etc.) because the resin material can break under extreme forces.
• Composite fillings set up hard right away. There is no waiting time to eat. Children should be observed until the anesthetic wears off. Due to the strange feeling of the anesthetic, many children will chew the inside of their lips, cheeks, or tongue, which can cause serious damage.
• The gum tissue could have been irritated during the procedure and may be sore for a few days together with the anesthetic injection site.
• The finished restoration may be contoured slightly different and have a different texture than the original tooth. Your tongue usually magnifies this small difference, but you will become accustomed to this in a few days

When a tooth has a cavity the Dentist removes the decay and fills the hole with a filling material, the tooth supports the filling. The ideal filling is no more than 50% of the tooth. This leaves half the tooth to support the filling. When you get a cavity that takes up 60%or more of the tooth, a crown is indicated. A crown covers the entire tooth and holds the tooth together.

The following suggestions are presented to assist you in learning to use and properly care for a new denture.
Sore Spots: Usually, your mouth will have a few “sore spots” after wearing the denture/partial for 24 hours. These areas can be relieved with very little effort during your next appointment.
Speaking: Learning to speak with your new dentures in place requires some patience and perseverance. Reading loud is a very good way to enunciate distinctly, especially those sounds or words that are not clear.
Chewing: The new bite may not feel completely comfortable for several weeks. We can adjust the contacting surfaces of your teeth after the dentures/partials have settled into place.

Hygiene of the Dentures/Partials and your Mouth: It is extremely important to clean you dentures by using a denture brush and a mild toothpaste. Periodic denture soaks once a week are also very useful (ex: Polident). We recommend leaving your partials out of your mouth at least for 6 hours and soaking in water. It is a good idea, not to sleep with your dentures. Food particles that are trapped under the denture can cause the inflammation of the gums and sore spots. Food particles will stick to soft tissue of your mouth; it is beneficial to brush the roof of your mouth and your tongue daily. Massaging and stimulating those tissues will reduce the incidence of inflammation and sore spots.

Partials only: Use special care to clean parts of the partial that contact any natural teeth. Both the partial and the natural teeth must be kept very clean on a daily basis to reduce the chance of new dental decay starting.

Be sure to check your dentures at least once annually as changes in the mouth, such as bone loss, and wearing of the teeth will inevitably occur. Careful maintenance of the dentures and the supporting soft tissues will help to slow down these changes.
We have done our best to provide you with well-fitted, functional, and esthetic dentures/partials. We feel confident that after a few weeks of becoming adjusted to the new dentures/partials, you will have years of satisfaction from them. Over time, your jawbone and gums shrink when there are teeth missing. When this occurs, your dentures/partials will feel loose and may require relining. Wearing ill-fitting dentures/partials for too long without refitting can cause severe bone loss and very serious oral disease. Please call our office if these symptoms occur.

Scaling and root planning therapy is a procedure that involves removing bacterial plaque and tartar from the root surface below the gumline with instruments and ultrasonics. The goal of this treatment is to allow reattachment of the gums to the clean root surface and to shrink the periodontal pockets to levels that can be maintained by daily flossing and brushing. The following guidelines have been prepared for you in order to maximize healing and minimize any discomfort.

Refrain from eating for at least 2 hours and until the anesthesia has worn off.

Things to Avoid for the first 24 hours:

• Vigorous physical exercise, but you may return to work
• Drinking through a straw or sucking motions.
• Do not smoke. It’s better to refrain for 48 hours.
• Drinking alcoholic beverages will retard the healing process.
• Food that is extreme in temperature or spicy.
• Avoid using any strong mouthwashes that contain alcohol.

Things to Do:

• You may take a non-aspirin analgesic to relieve any tenderness or discomfort, such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
• Eat a well balanced soft diet for today. You may chew on the opposite side of the treated area until it is comfortable to chew normally.
• Rinse with a warm salt water rinse, a 1 teaspoon in an 8 oz. glass of water, 3 times a day.
• Brush your teeth very lightly in the treated area the first night. Then begin flossing lightly as well the next day, gradually increasing to normal force by the week’s end.
• After flossing and brushing, rinse with recommended or  prescribed rinse  for at least 30 seconds, twice daily.

Several days after treatment your gums should begin to appear pinker, less swollen, and will bleed less when you floss. These are signs of healing and improving periodontal health. If you have any questions or problems, please call our office.