Extractions
Serious medical complications are very uncommon with dental extractions in healthy people. It is normal to experience mild to moderate soreness from an extraction site for some time. You may have received advise from Dr. Osborne about the use of pain medication. Post extraction pain should gradually decrease over time, not increase. Contact us if your pain is increasing rather than decreasing, or if an improving site seems to hurt much more after the second or third day for no apparent reason.
Extraction sites ooze small amounts of blood for up to 24 hours. When diluted with your own saliva, this may appear to be more blood than it actually is. Vigorous physical activity or bending low may stimulate more active bleeding. If you are concerned with the amount of bleeding, you may use the clean cotton gauze we provided at your visit. Wet one or two pieces of the gauze. Ring them out well. Place a sufficient amount of gauze over the extraction site so that some mild pressure is produced on the extraction site when you close your mouth. Twenty minutes should stop the bleeding. If the gauze becomes saturated, replace it with a new one. If you cannot get the bleeding to stop, call the office or visit the hospital emergency department.
During the first 24 hour after an extraction, do not engage in vigorous physical activity or contact sports. Avoid lying flat. Elevate you head throughout your first night of sleep. Do not drink from a straw or swish vigorously. Do not spit. Smokers must not smoke for at least 24 to 48 hours after an extraction.
Cold packs applied to the affected area of the face in the first few hours will reduce swelling, but very little swelling should occur from a routine extraction, and this precaution is usually not necessary. Moist heat applied to the affected parts of the face will increase blood flow to the area and accelerate healing. We do not recommend applying very hot or very cold packs to your face if that part of your face is still numb.
Contact us or visit the hospital emergency department if you experience facial swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable bleeding, signs of an allergic reaction, mental confusion, or if you develop a fever.
Root Canals
Though root canals sometime produce no post-treatment pain, it is very normal to experience considerable soreness which will gradually diminish over time. It is usually recommended that the patient take some over-the-counter pain reliever before the numbness has disappeared, as the area may ache more during the first hours after treatment.
Your treated tooth may have received a temporary filling material that was place over the root canal. This material wears over the course of several days, and may lead you to believe that it has come out when it has not. If you feel your temporary filling has dislodged, call the office during the next business day.
Avoid chewing on the side of the mouth where the procedure was performed so you do not irritate the area and so the temporary material placed into the tooth properly sets.
Contact the office if your pain is increasing rather than decreasing. Contact the office or visit the hospital emergency department if you experience swelling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or if you develop a fever.
Routine Fillings
Most of the time, routine fillings produce very little post-treatment pain. However, some soreness in the tooth, the jaw, or at the site were the local anesthetic was administered is not abnormal. Such discomfort should be easily manageable with over the counter pain relievers such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Severe or unremitting pain is abnormal, and you should contact the office.
Any initial discomfort or soreness almost always diminishes quickly. In rare cases, mild, intermittent symptoms may persist in your tooth for an extended time. Mild discomfort chewing and mild to moderate sensitivity to hot or cold may persist for several weeks or longer. Constant, persistent toothaches are abnormal, and you should contact the office.
If there is a discrepancy in your bite that was not present before the filling was placed, this can cause a tooth to be overly sensitive. If you suspect that your bite is incorrect, please contact the office as this problem is very easy to correct.
If you are ever uncertain whether or not your tooth is feeling the way it should, please contact us, and we will assess your symptoms by phone.
Crowns and Bridges
Crown and bridge procedures are usually associated with little post treatment pain. However, some soreness of the treated teeth, the jaw, or at the site were the local anesthetic was administered is not abnormal. Such discomfort should be manageable with over the counter pain relievers such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Severe or unremitting pain is abnormal, and you should contact the office.
In some cases, mild to moderate discomfort chewing certain foods, or sensitivity to hot and cold substances may persist for an extended period, but will eventually disappear. Constant, persistent toothaches are abnormal, and you should contact the office.
You may be wearing a provisional (temporary) crown or bridge. Provisionals are designed to be relatively easy to remove. You should exercise caution eating sticky or doughy foods, as they may cause your provisional(s) to come off. If your provisional does come off, don’t panic. A healthy tooth without its provisional should be moderately sensitive to hot or cold substances. Save your provisional in a secure location and call us. It is a simple procedure to have a provisional re-cemented. If your tooth is quite uncomfortable without its provisional, or if the loss of your provisional has produced an esthetic crisis, please call the office or contact Dr. Osborne at his after-hours number. Dr. Osborne can usually be reached using a number which is left on the office answering message after close. If your provisional has come off, and there is no sensitivity, please still call us during the next business day to arrange for a re-cementation. Your provisional serves an important role in assuring that your permanent crown or bridge fits perfectly when it is cemented.
