Surgical Instructions for Oral Surgery in Frisco, TX
Oral Surgery Instructions in Frisco, TX
Our oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Stonebriar Facial & Oral Surgery in Frisco, TX, want to make sure you are comfortable before, during, and after your surgery. Our goal is to give you as much information about your procedure as possible so that you know what to expect and how to prepare. We will give you verbal and written pre-oral surgery instructions, post-surgery “aftercare” instructions and an after-hours number where you can reach us if you have any questions or concerns as you recover at home. You can also read through our surgical instructions and post-surgery aftercare information here and contact us if you have questions.
Before Anesthesia
These pre-anesthesia instructions will help you prepare and understand what to expect after being under anesthesia for an oral surgery procedure.
If you are planning to have an IV general anesthetic, we ask that you have NOTHING to eat or drink for 6 hours prior to your arrival time. Please take your routine blood pressure medications as prescribed with a small sip of water, even if it is within the 6-hour window of time before your surgery. It is OKAY to take your blood pressure medications on the morning of surgery! If you will be having a local anesthetic or Nitrous Oxide anesthetic, you are free to eat and drink as normal with no restrictions.
The after-effects from anesthesia can make you feel groggy, tired, irritable, nauseous, disoriented, and dizzy. The side effects you experience may depend on the type and level of anesthesia used and your body’s tolerance for anesthesia. Our team will do everything we can to prepare you for anesthesia and give you information on what to expect before and after anesthesia. Please read through these oral surgical instructions for how to prepare for anesthesia during oral surgery. You can also review our OMS anesthesia guide here.
Dental Implant Surgery
Dental implant surgery at Stonebriar Facial and Oral Surgery is usually a quick procedure with minimal if any post-op discomfort. In fact, many patients comment that they didn’t need to take ANY pain medications. Depending on the complexity of the implant procedure, you may experience some pain, discomfort, swelling, and in rare cases a mild fever after your oral surgical procedure. These symptoms are completely normal.
To help guide you on what to expect after your procedure and how to manage your post-surgery recovery, please read through the following information and how to recognize warning signs of complications. Please carefully read through this information about what to expect after dental implant surgery. Keep in mind that this is general information, and your pre-dental implant and post-dental implant instructions may differ from what is outlined here. Please follow the instructions provided specifically to you.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Wisdom teeth removal is a very routine and straightforward oral surgery procedure. Most patients experience only minor discomfort, swelling, and bleeding after their procedure, but your recovery period depends on the extent, complexity of the procedure, your age, overall health, and how your body responds to the anesthesia.
Exposure and Bonding of an Impacted Tooth
You may need exposure and bonding of an impacted tooth to facilitate eruption of the permanent tooth into a correct orthodontic position. This procedure is almost always performed at the recommendation of and in coordination with an orthodontist. Once the patient is anesthetized, we expose the tooth using very small incisions and bond a gold button attached to a chain to the tooth. This allows the orthodontist to guide the tooth into its proper position in the weeks following surgery. This is done with small orthodontic elastics or “rubber bands.” Occasionally an orthodontic bracket is bonded to the tooth and attached to the arch-wire by the orthodontist postoperatively. This is an oral surgery procedure with a minimal recovery period. There is typically very minimal pain, bleeding, swelling or discomfort afterward. In fact, over the counter pain medications such as Tylenol or Motrin are typically adequate postoperatively.
Extractions
During a tooth extraction, we may need to make minor incisions in your gum tissue to remove your tooth from its socket. If incisions are necessary, typically dissolvable stitches are placed with will come out in 5-7 days. To help stop any bleeding, pressure is applied over the socket with sterile gauze. After a tooth extraction, you may experience mild pain or tenderness, mild bleeding, and mild swelling. Your response and recovery period will depend on how lengthy or complex the process was.
Multiple Extractions
Undergoing multiple tooth extractions at the same time is a lengthier process than a single tooth extraction. Incisions in your gingival tissue and dissolvable stitches may be necessary. Surprisingly, for many patients the recovery after multiple extractions is no worse than having 1 or 2 teeth extracted. You may experience mild to moderate pain, swelling, and bleeding in the 24-48 hours after your oral surgery procedure.
Socket Bone Grafting
Socket bone grafting or a “ridge preservation” is an oral surgery procedure during which we fill your tooth socket with a bone graft material after a tooth extraction to prepare that site for a dental implant. This procedure is performed at the same time as the tooth extraction. Full bone healing usually takes three or four months, however the procedure is minimally uncomfortable and most patients may return to work the following day. When the socket is fully healed, you are ready to have your implants placed!
Sinus Lift
A sinus lift is a surgical procedure during which we add bone to your upper jaw to increase bone height in preparation for a future dental implant. We have found that the name “sinus lift” is often very intimidating to most patients but the procedure and recovery are actually very easy. The surgery is typically 45min to an hour and requires approximately five to six months for the grafted bone to fully heal, at which point we can place your dental implants. After surgery, you may experience mild to moderate pain, swelling, discomfort and a feeling of sinus “pressure” after your procedure. These symptoms are normal. In addition to pain medications, prescription mouthwash and an antibiotic, our surgeons will often prescribe a nasal steroid and an antihistamine. Sutures are almost always placed and they will dissolve on their own after 5-7 days. Nose blowing and straws are strictly discouraged for 2-4 weeks post-op.
Post-Surgery Aftercare Instructions
Please review these general instructions for caring for yourself after an oral surgery procedure. We will give you instructions that are more specific to the procedure you are having done, and you should use that information to prepare.
- Swelling – It is normal to experience some swelling that worsens in the 24-72 hours after surgery. You can control swelling by applying ice packs during the first 48 hours. Use ice packs for 20 minutes, then remove them for 20 minutes. Repeat as needed, but do not fall asleep with ice packs on. You should elevate your head when lying down to allow gravity to help reduce the swelling. After 48 hours, you can use a hot washcloth or towel to minimize swelling.
- Pain – You can use Tylenol or Advil to manage moderate pain. For severe pain, you should take prescribed painkillers as directed. Do not take prescription painkillers on an empty stomach, and do not drink alcohol, drive, or operate machinery when taking prescription painkillers. Please ensure that you do not take Advil, Ibuprofen or Aleve WITH Toradol or “Ketorolac” as they are all NSAIDS. This can be dangerous and result in organ damage.
- Healing Abutments – Healing abutments or “Healing Caps” are usually placed at the time of implant placement. Healing abutments screw into the implant fixture and emerge just above the level of the gums. These healing abutments direct the healing of the gums at the level of the gums. If the healing abutment comes out during the healing period, DO NOT PANIC!!! This happens because the healing abutment is placed “finger tight” and not at a high torque value. If the healing abutment loosens and falls out, please continue to keep the area clean while the gums close over the implant collar. We will replace the healing abutment after the implant has had adequate time to heal.
- Antibiotics – If we prescribe antibiotics to you, please take all of them as directed. If you experience any signs of infection or allergic reaction during or after your course of antibiotics, please call our office.
- Rinsing – You should avoid touching the surgical area or disturbing the blood clot(s). You should also avoid rinsing or spitting in the first 24 hours after your surgery. After 24 hours, you can rinse gently with salt water four or five times per day. We may prescribe an antibacterial mouth rinse, “Peridex” which can be started the morning after surgery as directed by your surgeon.
- Eating – Please favor soft foods for the first few days after your surgery. Do not use straws, drink alcohol, or eat nuts, seeds, popcorn, or any hard or chewy foods. Make sure you drink at least eight glasses of liquid each day. Drink water, juice, sports drinks, or protein shakes.
- Exercise – Do not exercise while taking prescription painkillers or if you are bleeding. You should also avoid exercise if you are not consuming enough calories.
- Resting – Avoid strenuous activity, lifting of heavy objects, and participating in sports for at least three or four days after your procedure. Rest as much as possible.
- Smoking and alcohol – Do not smoke, use nicotine products, or drink alcohol for at least two weeks after your surgery.
- Complications – If you experience any complications or have any questions about the healing process, please call us during office hours.
FAQs on Oral Surgical Instructions
We want you to have as much information as possible before you undergo oral surgery. Please read through these FAQs on oral surgery instructions.
You should make sure you are getting enough calories and nutrients after your oral surgery. While you are still feeling the effects of local anesthesia, do not eat or drink anything hot or cold or that requires chewing. This will help avoid inadvertent burns or biting of the tongue while it is numb. After the local anesthesia has worn off, avoid eating hard or chewy foods like nuts, popcorn, caramel, nougat, marshmallow, taffy, and seeds. Do not chew on ice. Try to stick to liquids and soft foods for the first 24-72 hours after your surgery. Jello, pudding, applesauce, mashed bananas, rice, cottage cheese, yogurt, milkshakes, mashed potatoes, soup, soft pasta, and pureed vegetables are all fine. Make sure you are drinking at least eight glasses of liquid each day. You can use protein shakes or meal replacement shakes to make sure you get enough calories and nutrients.
On the day of your surgery, you should not brush your teeth, spit, or rinse your mouth. On the day after your surgery, you can brush your teeth like normal, but avoid the surgery site and be very gentle. You should rinse your mouth with saltwater and/or an antibacterial mouth rinse after eating and four or five times per day. Depending on the specific oral surgical procedure, your surgeon will specify when it is safe to begin gently brushing the surgical site.
A dry socket is a condition that occurs approximately 5-7 days after an extraction during which the clot that has formed within the socket becomes disintegrated. There is no known “cause” of a dry socket however our surgeons perform routine measures that have been shown to minimize the risk of getting a dry socket. Dry sockets are painful and can increase your healing time simply due to prolonged pain. When you have a dry socket, you will experience pain that radiates from the socket to your ear, neck, jaw, eye, or temple. You can reduce your risk of a dry socket by not using straws, not smoking, and not spitting for five to seven days after surgery.
It is normal to experience a slight fever after oral surgery, as well as pain, swelling, bleeding, nausea, and fatigue. However, in some cases, complications do occur. The most common complications after oral surgery are infection, prolonged bleeding, dry socket, prolonged swelling, and prolonged numbness.
If you have a fever that persists after one or two days along with extreme swelling, redness, warmth of the soft tissues, pus, discharge, a bad taste in your mouth, smelly liquid oozing from the surgery site, trouble opening your mouth or moving your jaw, swollen glands, and pain that worsens or doesn’t go away with pain medication, you may have an infection. Call us right away if you have signs of an infection.
You can reduce your risk of infection or other complications by maintaining excellent oral hygiene before and following your surgery. Please take antibiotics as directed if they are prescribed and rinse your mouth with the antibiotic mouthwash or warm salt water after eating. You should also avoid smoking and using tobacco products, drinking alcohol, and eating hard, chewy, or crunchy foods, as this could delay healing, disrupt your blood clot, and cause further swelling and bleeding.
The level of pain you experience depends on the complexity and extent of your surgery and how your body responds. Most people experience mild to moderate pain after simple tooth extractions. More complex procedures can cause moderate to severe pain that should be managed by over-the-counter and prescription painkillers. Your pain should gradually subside in the 48-72 hours after surgery. If your pain persists after four days or if it worsens, please call our office.
For more information, please review the instructions for your specific oral surgery procedure, refer to the written instructions we provided you, or call our office.
Please Call with Any Questions About Pre- or Post-Surgery Instructions
You will receive oral and written instructions that are specific to your surgical procedure. These instructions take precedence over the more generalized instructions on these web pages. Please review all instructions carefully so that you know what to expect before and after your oral surgery procedure. If you have any questions or concerns or do not understand something in your instructions, please call us during office hours.