After Your Surgery
Instructions for patients that received Oral Sedation
YOU MUST NOT:
- Drive a vehicle for 24 hours
- Take a bus or taxi unescorted by another responsible adult
- Be driven home on a motorcycle or bicycle
In addition, DO NOT:
- Operate moving machinery for 24 hours
- Make any important decisions or work for 12-24 hours after your sedative
- Undertake any strenuous activity
- Consume any alcoholic beverages for 24 hour after your sedative.
You should have recovered by the following day, but should you still feel that the drug is affecting you, continue with the above instructions.
Instructions for Patients that received Oral and IV Sedation:
YOU MUST NOT:
- Drive for 24 hours
- Take a bus or taxi unescorted by another responsible adult
- Be driven home on a motorcycle or bicycle
- Be left unattended at home for the first 6 hours
In addition, DO NOT:
- Operate moving machinery for 24 hours
- Make any important decisions or work 12 to 24 hrs after your sedative
- Undertake any strenuous activity
- Consume any alcoholic beverages for 24 hours after your sedative
You should have recovered by the following day, but should you still feel the drugs are still affecting your alertness, continue with the above instructions!
Key points for post –operative care AFTER dental surgery:
1. Take pain medication as soon as you can, even though the local anaesthetic is still effective. Keep taking the prescribed dose at the recommended time intervals for the first day.
*It can take 40 minutes for pain medication to work. Pain is worst about 5 hours after dental surgery.
2. After taking pain medication, place a dry tea bag over each wound. Keep in place for 1 hour, then remove it; if you are still bleeding, place another tea bag over the wound. Repeat until the bleeding ceases.
*Tannic acids aids in clotting. Caffeine, a stimulant, is released in small amounts. If preferred, use decaffeinated tea.
3. Avoid vigorous exercise (eg. Running, swimming) for 24 hours
*exercising increases blood pressure, which might cause bleeding to start again.
4. Soft foods for the first 2 days, e.g. jello, milk shakes, milk, soup, congee, slurpees, ice cream, yoghurt.
*An intact clot is vital for healing. Eating firm foods too soon can disturb the clot.
5. Do Not rinse your mouth until the day after surgery.
*The clot can be dislodged if you rinse on the same day as the surgery. If the blood clot is disturbed, the socket might become infected.
6. Brush the teeth gently with a soft toothbrush, commencing on the evening of the surgery.
* Keeping the teeth clean is important for healing. A soft toothbrush will avoid damage to the tender surgical site.
7. Avoid smoking if at all possible during the first week.
* Smoking delays healing by reducing blood supply to the wound. Smoking increases the risk of “dry socket”.
8. After two days, switch to semi-solid foods, e.g. rice, noodles, pasta, scrambled egg, blended or liquidised foods.
*Do not chew solid foods too soon after dental surgery. The socket needs a stable blood clot for rapid healing. Solid foods can displace the blood clot.
9. Take the prescribed medications to ensure good wound healing.
*The drugs you have been prescribed are recommended to ensure rapid healing.
10. Call the office if you begin to experience pain and bad breath again a few days after the surgery.
*Pain and bad breath are signs of an infected socket (dry socket). Treatment is simple and effective, but should be given promptly to avoid suffering. Call us.
Dizziness Prevention
Sometimes, we experience a patient who has fainted at home after dental surgery.
Especially, if you have starved prior to the dental surgery, but even if the procedure has been somewhat stressful, you might feel weak and at times dizzy when you get home. To avoid these symptoms, take a natural source of glucose, ie honey and swallow a tablespoon four times a day for the first few days after the dental surgery. However, if you are a diabetic, make sure you monitor your blood glucose to avoid an excessive blood sugar.