Post-Op Instructions

Helpful Tips

After your ZOOM!® treatment, please follow a few guidelines to help you maintain the look of your new smile. Everyone’s teeth have a protective layer called the protein pellicle. This layer contains the surface dental stains and is removed during ZOOM!® treatments. It takes twelve to twenty-four hours for the barrier to fully develop again. During this period, we ask you to avoid the items listed below.
You may experience some tooth sensitivity during this period. lf you do, take what you would normally use for a headache.
Please feel free to contact us, should you have any questions or concerns. We will be happy to assist you.

DO

Foods you may consume for the next 24 hours:

• Drink milk, water, clear soda
• Fruit: bananas, apples, no peel
• Bread white bread. flour tortillas
• Oats: oatmeal
• Dairy: plain yogurt, white cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese
• Grains: white rice, baked potato
• Pasta: plain pasta and white sauce
• Meat: turkey, chicken breast (no skin)

DON’T

Foods to avoid with in the next 24 hours:

• Red Wine
• Dark Colas
• Coffee or Tea
• Red Sauces
• Mustard or Ketchup
• Soy sauce, A-1 sauce
• Smoking
• Lipstick
• Or anything that would stain a white shirt.

Immediately following surgery, keep the gauze pad placed over the surgical area with pressure applied by biting down until the bleeding stops. A certain amount of bleeding is to be expected following a surgical procedure. Placing the gauze pad over the area and biting firmly may control excessive bleeding. Slight bleeding, oozing, or redness in the saliva is not uncommon. Repeat as necessary within a one-hour period following surgery.

If you have been prescribed pain medication besides aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), do not drive, operate heavy equipment, work around machinery or tools or engage in any other activity that may be unsafe when groggy, as your reflexes and judgment will be affected by the medication. Do not take more than 800mg every 4-6 hours. Medication should not be taken on an empty stomach. If you have been placed on antibiotics, take the medicine as directed. Antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent infection.

Swelling around the face, eyes and surgical site is not uncommon. This swelling may not appear until the day following the surgery and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. You can help to minimize the swelling by applying a cold compress on the face near the extraction site alternating on for 20 minutes then off for 20 minutes. After 36 hours the ice will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.

For 24 hours following your surgery, do not suck on a straw, brush, rinse, spit, or smoke. Avoid hot and spicy foods, carbonated and alcoholic beverages. During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies. Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery, avoid excessive work or play and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.

After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day.

If any sutures were required, they will dissolve on their own in 7-10 days. It will not be necessary to return to the office for sutures to be removed.

Children should be supervised after having an extraction to make sure they do not bite or their tongue or lips as it can cause serious injury to their soft tissue.

Please call our office if you experience severe pain, excessive bleeding or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In the event of an emergency, please call our office. If you are experiencing a serious or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.

Some pain, bleeding, swelling and seeping are normal following oral surgery. A cold compress placed on the face near the extraction site for 30 minutes every five to ten minutes on the day of your surgery can be helpful. This will help reduce pain and swelling. Do not miss your follow up appointment(s) with your dentist and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers. Please do not touch your lips to see or feel the area treated. Avoid brushing your teeth near the surgery site but brush and floss the rest of your mouth as instructed by the office. You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen according to the instructions on the label or those provided by your doctor as needed. A warm salt water rinse, approximately ½ teaspoon in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day can be helpful.

For the first 24 hours you may experience some cold and heat sensitivity. Do not eat, drink, chew or consume foods and beverages that are extremely hot or spicy until the numbness has worn off following the anesthetic. Avoid vigorous physical exercise for the first 24 hours and do not consume alcoholic beverages or smoke for at least 48 hours. Do not brush, rinse or spit. Do not use a straw for drinking. During the first few days after surgery a diet of liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice and smoothies are recommended. If you experience excessive bleeding or discomfort after 48-72 hours, please call our office immediately.

Follow any other instructions provided by the office on your visit. Please take all medications as prescribed including your prescribed antibiotics to help prevent infection.

After your procedure please do not disturb the area. Avoid forcefully rinsing or spitting. Some bleeding is normal for the first 24 hours. Biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes will help reduce bleeding. If bleeding continues please call our office.

Please take all medications, including mouth rinses, as prescribed.

Warm salt water rinses (one-half teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used 4-5 times a day after meals. Brush your teeth with a soft manual toothbrush. Be gentle with brushing the surgical areas. Sutures may be placed after the surgery and most sutures dissolve on their own.

Swelling and bruising may occur. The use of ice packs following your surgery will help diminish the swelling you may experience in the next 48-72 hours. Applying ice for 15-20 minutes followed by resting the same amount of time works very well.

Drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from spicy foods. Also avoid sharp and crunchy foods like tacos, chips and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol should not be used. Alcohol should not be used in combination with pain medications nor antibiotics.

Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery.

If a surgical bandage was used, it is desirable for it to remain in place for 24 hours. Do not remove it; it will come off when ready. Once removed, you can begin cleaning the wound gently with a cotton swab dipped in a mouth rinse.

During office hours, immediate attention will be given to your situation, and you will be seen as soon as possible. After office hours, please give the office call and follow the instructions provided. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. In the event of an emergency, please call our office. If you are experiencing a serious or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.

Follow any other instructions provided by the office on your visit. Please take all medications as prescribed including your prescribed antibiotics to help prevent infection.