ACTIVITY
After leaving the office, relax for the remainder of the day. Avoid strenuous activity for the next 3 days to prevent severe bleeding.
SWELLING
Some swelling may be present the day after the surgery and may peak at 48-72 hours after surgery. Rinsing with cold liquids is very important for reducing swelling, discomfort, and bleeding. Sip ice water, iced tea, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, or similar cold liquids, and keep the surgical area cold for the remainder of the day after surgery. Do not use a straw, as suction can start bleeding. Swelling can also be minimized by placing an ice pack over the operated area on the outside of the face for the remainder of the day after surgery, alternating on and off at 10-minute intervals.
MEDICATIONS
Please follow the instructions on the bottle for any medications prescribed. If any adverse reaction to those medications should arise, such as nausea, itching, swelling, or any allergic symptoms, please contact the office immediately and discontinue all medication immediately. As a summary:
- Ibuprofen 600 mg every 6 hours for pain as needed. Do not exceed 3000 mg of ibuprofen per day.
- If you need additional pain relief, take 650 mg of acetaminophen (Tylenol) as needed every 6 hours with the ibuprofen. Do not exceed 3000 mg of acetaminophen per day.
- Swish with StellaLife oral rinse three times a day:
- Use ¾ tablespoon (10 ml) for 1 minute and spit out.
- Refrain from eating or drinking for at least 20 minutes after.
- This rinse must be purchased at the office as it is not available at the pharmacy.
- If prescribed, take antibiotics as directed until ALL ARE GONE, as long as there are no adverse reactions.
- Follow instructions for any other medications prescribed.
- You may take these medications with food.
BLEEDING
There may be some bleeding for the first three days after the surgery is completed. There may be a pink discoloration of your saliva for several hours, but frank bleeding (bright red) is not to be expected. Should bleeding occur, place moistened gauze or a moistened tea bag (not herbal tea) over the area and hold it against the bleeding site. It may take several minutes before the bleeding stops. If there is no change in the amount of bleeding, call the office immediately.
Sleep with an extra pillow to keep your head slightly elevated the night of the procedure.
EATING
It is necessary to maintain a relatively normal diet throughout the course of healing. For the first day, a cold liquid diet is recommended, such as yogurt, smoothies, ice cream, cold soup. Starting the day after the procedure, warm soft foods can be eaten. Some examples of food you can eat are well cooked noodles, mashed potatoes, omelets, hot soup, steamed vegetables. Do NOT eat hard foods like chips, pretzels, or hard candy.
Chewing should be done predominately on the side opposite the surgical site. Avoid spicy, salty, and excessively hot foods and liquids. Please refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages during the first 4-5 days following surgery.
ORAL HYGIENE
Do NOT brush or floss the surgical site for 2 weeks. Use StellaLife rinse gently after you brush/floss other areas of your mouth. It is important to maintain a normal level of oral hygiene in the non-operated areas by brushing and flossing.
You may start brushing only the chewing surfaces of the teeth in the surgical site after 1 week. You may also use a Q-tip or intraoral sponge dipped in mouthwash to gently swab the surgical area. Return to normal brushing/flossing after 2 weeks unless otherwise directed.
CARE OF THE SUTURES AND/OR DRESSING
Do not play with the sutures with your tongue. Do not lift your lip up to try to see where the surgery was done. Let the surgical site stay as still as possible to ensure the best healing.
Some sutures are dissolvable and will dissolve on their own in 7-15 days. Do not attempt to remove the sutures once they start to loosen. Other sutures are not dissolvable and will be removed at your follow up visit in 1-2 weeks.
If a dressing has been placed over the area after surgery, please do not disturb it. Do not drink hot beverages for a period of 2 hours after surgery since the dressing is not completely set until that time. If small pieces of the dressing break off, do not be concerned. If large portions of the dressing are displaced and discomfort is experienced, please contact the office. If the dressing should fall off after 4 days, and you are comfortable, replacement of the dressing is unnecessary.
SMOKING
Please do not smoke during the post-surgical period, as wound healing will be delayed.
If any questions arise, please do not hesitate to call the office at 518-631-5988.