INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURGICAL PATIENTS PREPARING FOR IMPLANT SURGERY

1. Follow your regular diet until the day of surgery.

2. Wear loose, comfortable clothing in the office.

3. Wear no make-up on the day of the surgery and remove nail polish from the index fingers of both hands.

4. Before leaving for the office, brush and floss your teeth thoroughly.

5. Plan no activity for the day of surgery and limited activity for the following 2 days.

6. Have an ice pack available to reduce swelling. Ice packs can be in place for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for the remainder of the day. Sleeping with an extra pillow to slightly elevate the head will help minimize swelling. Following the first 24 hours of using ice packs, moist, warm packs can be used if needed.

7. Drink no alcoholic beverages for 12 hours prior to surgery or for 24 hours after surgery

8. Eat or drink only cold or room temperature foods until the numbness subsides.

9. Return to your regular diet as soon as you feel comfortable doing so; however, avoid coarse foods such as seeds, nuts, chips, etc.

10. Minors ( under 18 years of age ) must be accompanies by parent or legal guardian.

11. Contact lenses must be removed prior to surgery.

12. Patients should be clean shaven for surgery. Those with beards and mustaches should be trimmed away from the lips.

13. If you are diabetic, taking anticoagulants (blood thinners), or have a heart murmur, please advise us immediately. Please advise us of all medications you are taking.

IMMEDIATE POST-SURGICAL CARE

1. IMPLANT PATIENTS: For those patients who have received dental implants, the doctor may have advised you not to wear your present denture for 7-10 days. It is important that you not attempt to place the denture until your first postoperative visit.

2. SMOKING: Smoking plays a significant role in the progression of gum disease and associated bone loss. Patients who smoke following surgery will often experience delayed healing and greater discomfort, strongly advise our patients to refrain from smoking.

3. MEDICATIONS: It is important that you follow the instructions written on your prescriptions. If unfavorable reactions occur (nausea, vomiting, headache, rash, etc.) discontinue medication and call our office.

Patients who take oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are advised that the antibiotics prescribed for your treatment may inactivate your birth control pill, and render it ineffective. If alternate means of birth control are not practiced, you may have an increased risk of pregnancy while taking antibiotics.

If you have been given a prescription for Corsodyl mouth rinse, you may find increased staining will occur during its use. These stains will be polished off at your postoperative visits. Do not use this rinse if you have white plastic fillings (composites) as they may permanently discolor. If you have these types of fillings or fillings in your front teeth, please advise us immediately.

4. CLEANING THE MOUTH: For the remainder of the day of surgery, warm salt water rinses can be used. Brush the top of your tongue that day, but do not attempt to brush any of the teeth involved in the surgery site. The next day, you can brush and floss normally; however, brush only the biting surfaces of the teeth of surgery. If you have been given a prescription for a mouth rinse, remember to use it twice daily. You will be given additional instructions at your postoperative visits.

5. BLEEDING: Slight seeping from the wound edge is to be expected for at least the first 12 hours. If heavy persistent bleeding occurs, call for instructions. For those patients who have had soft tissue grafts, and are wearing a plastic STENT on the roof of the mouth, it is important to keep this in for the first 24 hours. Following this period, the STENT can be removed, cleaned, and replaced as needed.

6. SWELLING: A slight amount of swelling and even discoloration is not unusual following some procedures, and usually disappears within four to five days. If significant swelling and discoloration persists for more than five (5) days, please call the office. Ice packs should be used for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for the first 24 hours. Following the first 24 hours, moist warm packs can be used if needed.

PREPARATION OF NUTRITIOUS FOODS

1. Eggs (in all forms).

2. Soups, bouillon, and chowder.

3. Soft meats, such as meat loaf, canned tuna, salmon, potted meat, finely ground boiled chicken.

4. Soft pureed vegetables (potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, asparagus, etc ).

Things to avoid:

Fortified low fat milk, buttermilk, cottage cheese, and yogurt. Protein milk shakes

and citrus fruits and juices, tooth pastes-Peroxide.

Remember to eat three (3) meals daily and drink at least six (6) to eight(8) glasses of water per day, particularly in the immediate postoperative period.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns. Call our office number (+971-4)-2956595 or Doctor’s Mobile. (+971-50)-4568100.