Post-Op Instructions for Dr. Keith Konvalinka

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Crown Instructions

After placing a crown, we suggest you follow these instructions to ensure a successful result:

Avoid chewing or biting on the either side of your mouth until the anesthetic has worn off, so you don’t do damage to the temporary or chew up your cheek or tongue.
Don’t chew anything hard or crunchy for the first day after you have a new crown. We like to tell patients not to chew anything harder than spaghetti.
If we placed a CEREC crown, then you can brush and floss immediately after leaving if you wish and by doing so you’re gums will heal quicker and feel better faster. If we placed a gold crown or bridge, we suggest you avoid flossing until you go to bed that night, but you can still brush any time.
If the bite feels wrong or uneven, avoid chewing anything on the new crown and call us to return to the office as soon as possible. Correcting the bite can take just a few minutes and if left unadjusted can harm your tooth, break the crown or lead to a wicked tooth or jaw ache.

Post-Extraction Instructions

After a tooth extraction here’s what to do:

Bite firmly on the gauze in your mouth for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes remove it and discard. If there is still some bleeding, take some of the gauze we’ve given to you, fold it into a pad, wet it, and place it directly over the extraction site. Bite firmly on this for another 45 minutes and discard. If you experience extreme bleeding return to our office or call us.

Do not spit , rinse, suck through a straw, smoke or blow your nose vigorously for 24 hours after the extraction. These actions tend to dislodge the blood clot and cause continued or resumed bleeding. After 24 hours you may rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water (one tsp. to 8 oz. of water).

You may apply an ice bag or cold towel to your cheek or jaw – alternating 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off -- until bedtime. Do not continue the ice after 24 hours have passed.

It is important that you maintain a good diet during the healing of your mouth. During the first day eat foods which are easily chewed (soups, eggs, instant breakfasts, etc.). Don't skip any meals. If possible, chew on the side opposite from your extraction.

After 24 hours, if there is swelling or jaw stiffness, apply heat to the outside of your face using a warm, moist cloth. If you use a hot water bottle or heating pad, first coat the skin with petroleum jelly, then put a thin towel over the site and finally apply the heat source. Don't apply constant heat - only 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.

If we prescribed any medication it is important that you take any antibiotics until the bottle is empty. Only take pain medications if you are in pain – if not, then don’t take them.

If you have continued, severe bleeding or pain you may call the office. If it’s after hours, call Dr. Konvalinka at his home at 353-9627. If you are unable to reach our office or Dr. Konvalinka and you have a serious complication, either call or go to the emergency room of Bronson Methodist Hospital (383-6386).

Temporary Crowns

If we are doing a lab-fabricated crown or bridge, then we will place a temporary crown or bridge and you will need to keep that temporary in place while the lab makes your crown or bridge. We suggest you follow these instructions:

Anesthetic and Chewing: Avoid chewing anything on either side of your mouth until the anesthetic has worn off, so you don’t do damage to the temporary or chew up your cheek or tongue.

Chewing The Hard Stuff: Avoid chewing anything hard or crunchy that might break the temporary or anything sticky that might pull the temporary loose.

Flossing: Avoid flossing around a temporary crown. If you are very careful you can floss by carefully feeding the floss through the contact area, flossing, then letting go of one end and pulling the floss out sideways. Better yet, just don’t do it.

Brushing: You should brush around a temporary just as you would with the rest of your teeth – gently and thoroughly.

Discomfort: Expect some discomfort in and around your gums. Keep them clean and you’ll heal quicker. You may use warm salt water to rinse the area and you can take any OTC pain medication like Motrin, Tylenol or aspirin.

Coming Loose: If your temporary comes loose or comes off, call immediately and get in as soon as possible so we can re-cement it. Your temporary holds the tooth in place, keeps other teeth from drifting into the space for the new crown or bridge, keeps food off the tooth, and prevents the gums from growing into where the new crown will go. Leaving a temporary off for any length of time could jeopardize your tooth and make your next appointment very unpleasant.

It Feels Wrong: If the bite feels uneven or wrong, call for an appointment so we can adjust your temporary. It’s a quick appointment and do so will avoid tooth or jaw pain and get you back to normal quickly.

Fillings

After we’ve filled a tooth for you, here’s what to do:

Chewing: Avoid chewing or biting on the either side of your mouth until the anesthetic has worn off, so you don’t accidentally do damage to the filling or chew up your cheek or tongue.
Type of Filling: If we placed a composite [tooth colored] filling, you can chew on the filling that day, but if we placed an amalgam [silver filling] then you will need to avoid chewing on it for 24 hours. The same thing with floss: you can floss a composite right away, but avoid flossing an amalgam for a day.
Temperature: New fillings can be sensitive to temperature and pressure for a few days after we put them in. Avoid the things that bother you and if the symptoms continue call our office for an appointment so we can check it out
Uneven Bite: If the bite feels uneven or wrong, call for an appointment so we can adjust your filling. It’s a quick appointment and doing so will avoid tooth or jaw pain and get you back to normal quickly.
Brushing: Your gums may be tender and bleed a bit after a filling, especially when you brush. Brush all your teeth, including the newly filled one, as you normally would. The better you keep them clean, the quicker your gums will feel right.

Home Care After Laser Periodontal Therapy

The success of Periodontal Therapy rests on plaque control and proper home care. Here’s our recommendations if you’ve had “gum work”:

It is normal for the treated area to be sore and tender to the touch for 4-7 days. Take analgesics like Advil or Tylenol every 3-4 hours for discomfort.

NO SMOKING FOR 6-24 HOURS AFTER TREATMENT! Tobacco smoke is an irritant to healing.

Cleaning: Treated area must be kept plaque free with thorough brushing, flossing, and other devices or rinses. For brushing, we recommend the Rotadent toothbrush 2-3 times a day for 2-4 minutes each time.

Brushing: The successful outcome of laser assisted periodontal treatment is dependant upon plaque control that only you can provide on a daily basis. Brush, brush, brush!

Rinses: Saltwater rinses (1tsp./4-8 oz water) 4-6 times daily may help with any tenderness.

Sensitivity: Sensitivity to temperature changes is normal and can be treated with fluoride, desensitizing toothpaste or with treatment in our office. Call us if this is a problem.

Medications: Use any prescribed medications or supplements as directed during treatment phase. For example, we often prescribe or dispense Peridex [chlorhexidine rinse] in which you should dip your brush when brushing daily.

Questions: If you have any questions or concerns about your treatment please call our office as soon as possible.