Postoperative Instructions: Bone Grafting/Socket Preservation

• Do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. Be as gentle as you can around the bone grafting area.
• When experiencing bleeding, apply pressure with clean gauze directly to the area in your mouth that is bleeding, changing the gauze every 30-45 minutes as needed. Steady, consistent, firm, direct pressure for at least 30 minutes at a time is best. Bleeding should decrease over time.
• We typically place a collagen plug or membrane over the bone graft material to help with establishing a blood clot and initially protecting the graft material. It also assists with guiding soft tissue healing. This sponge-like material may become dislodged from the site. If this occurs within the first day and you feel like bone graft material has come out, please call our office. After this time period, a blood clot will be in place securing the surgical site. Continue to be very gentle and not disrupt this site.
• Swelling peaks at day 3 after surgery. Use ice packs on and off for 10 to 15 minutes during the first 24 hours to decrease swelling. If you experience rapid swelling, opening of the surgical site, drainage, or bad taste after the 3rd day, please contact our office.
• Stay hydrated, consuming liquids and puree the first 24 hours. After that, you can advance to a soft diet for the first week after surgery.
• It is extremely important to take your ANTIBIOTICS for the entire prescribed course to prevent a post-operative infection.
• Oral hygiene is important for post-operative healing. Do not rinse your mouth or spit for 24 hours. After 24 hours have passed, start brushing your teeth but avoid the bone graft site and the teeth on either side of the bone graft site so as not to disrupt it for the first 7 days. Lightly rinsing your mouth with the prescription rinse or warm salt water can be started after 24 hours. Avoid vigorously rinsing for 72 hours.
• Do not drink from a straw, smoke, or drink carbonated beverages for 3 days. Do not do any heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling for 7 days after the bone graft.
• Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures should not be used immediately after surgery. You may wear these prostheses as soon as it is comfortable, but only if the prosthesis doesn't touch the graft site.

PRESCRIPTIONS

You were most likely prescribed a pain medication, or possibly instructed to take ibuprofen, or a combination of the two.

• When you leave the clinic after surgery, your mouth will be numb for at least 2-3 hours.
• We recommend eating and starting your pain medication (ibuprofen if able) before the numbness goes away. Take other prescribed pain medication as needed in addition to ibuprofen. Taking pain medication without food can cause nausea.
• If you were prescribed an anti-nausea medication, start taking it AS SOON AS you start to feel ANY nausea. Only take if needed. If you were not prescribed an anti-nausea medication, and you start to have nausea, STOP eating/drinking. If nausea persists for longer than 1-2 hours, call our clinic.
• Take your prescribed antibiotics for the entire course. It is best to take antibiotics with food.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our clinic at (205) 900-WISE. We are available 24/7. If you need to call after hours, you will reach our answering service. Tell them you have a question/concern, and they will connect you with one of our team members.