At Commonwealth Oral and Facial Surgery, we realize that having any surgery can be stressful. Our desire is to have your post-operative course progress as smoothly as possible. These instructions provide some general guidelines regarding post-operative care; your doctor may give you additional instructions as well. Thank you for choosing Commonwealth Oral and Facial Surgery.
Before Local Anesthetic & Nitrous Oxide
We recommend you eat a light meal if you are going to have just a Local anesthetic (numbing medication) and or just Local anesthetic with Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) prior to your surgery.
When having the procedure with Local Anesthetic or Local Anesthetic with Nitrous Oxide you are able to drive yourself to and from your appointment.
PLEASE wear loose-fitting clothing so that we can easily place a blood pressure cuff and other monitoring devices. (Short sleeve shirts, sweatpants and gym shoes are always good choices.)
PLEASE brush your teeth before your appointment. It will help reduce bacteria in your mouth.
Activity
Unless told otherwise, avoid vigorous physical activity for three days following your surgery. Physical activity increases your blood pressure, which could cause an increase in your swelling, pain, and bleeding. You may gradually increase your activity, such as jogging or tennis as your recovery progresses.
Please have a cold ice pack(s) prepared ahead of time to help reduce swelling after surgery. For example; a frozen bag of peas works just as well as a cold ice-pack(s).
Diet
Items to have on hand ahead of time! It’s recommended you have clear liquids, such as coke, ginger ale, apple juice, Gatorade or broth. You should eat only soft food for the first day depending on the type of surgery you have: for example, soups, smoothies, eggs, mashed potatoes and meatloaf are fine. It’s recommended you do not eat hard, crunchy or very chewy foods, such as European breads, pizza crust, steak or jerky, nuts, or popcorn.
Medications
If the doctor approves for you to take your daily medication prior to your surgery, you will only take it with a sip of water.
Dental Implant Surgery Patients
Please review the instructions on the prescriptions that you should have received at the time of your evaluation. You should have been prescribed an antibiotic and an antibacterial mouthwash. You will need to start both the day before your procedure. If you did not receive these prescriptions, please contact our office.