Important Information
for Patients

You’ll usually be advised ahead of your surgery what you should and shouldn’t do by your dentist. We always recommend keeping physical activities (such as contact sports) to a minimum during the day of surgery. This is to avoid you obtaining new injuries or complications that could disrupt your surgery.

Patients are also advised to refrain from taking aspirin (unless necessary to do so under instruction of a GP). Aspirin inhibits blood coagulation which means it thins the blood and as such, causes you to bleed for longer than normal. As your surgery is likely to involve incisions and some small levels of blood to be drawn therefore, we want to avoid complications. Other over the counter pain relief such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used instead.

If you are reliant on blood thinners please raise this with your dentist before surgery. You may wish to speak to your doctor in advance to make them aware of the surgery and to explore if there any alternative medications you could take beforehand.

What should I do post-surgery?

We recognise that post surgery you might be feeling a little weary and uncomfortable. Rest assured, we will always properly debrief you about how the surgery went and provide clear guidance on what you should and shouldn’t do following surgery. Every surgery is different and as such the guidance may alter, but in general we usually always recommend the following:

Only take medication prescribed to you by the dentist treating you. This is because your dentist should be aware of your personal health, surgery, and any other medication you might be on. Not following guidance on medication exactly as prescribed could lead to potentially dangerous health complications.If you’re a smoker, you’ll be asked to avoid smoking for 7-14 days. Smoking can reduce the effectiveness of the surgery and harm your recovery.You’ll be advised to avoid drinks like alcohol, tea, coffee, or sugary/acidic drinks for 3 days following the surgery. This is to give you the very best chance of a recovery without disrupting or antagonising the area where surgery was undertaken.You may also be advised to avoid eating foods that could cause complications or discomfort. For example, hard or chewy foods are not advisable as they could get caught between teeth or aggravate the area we’ve operated on. Your dentist might advise you avoid fresh milk products such as cream cheese, yoghurt, and whole milk.Your dentist is likely to advise you try keep the area of surgery cool for at least 3 days. Cold-wet compresses and freezer packs are idea for this and should help temporarily numb the area slightly to reduce swelling or pain. Avoid placing ice directly on your skin, however, as this is likely to aggravate the area further. Avoid applying heat packs or hot water bottles to the area.Using disinfecting mouth wash twice a day (with a seven-hour gap between as a minimum) will help fight against the threat of infection.Try to avoid sleeping on the side of your face on which surgery was performed as to avoid discomfort and potentially causing any harm to the area during sleep. We advise sleeping with your head a little higher than the rest of your body e.g., using extra pillows to do so.

AFTER CARE NOTES

For the following 24 hours After Treatment you must:

• Avoidany dark staining drinks like Tea, Coffee, Red Wine, coloured soft or alcoholic drinks and fruit juice.
• Avoidall dark staining foods like bolognese, soy sauce, red meat, chocolate and all fruit except bananas.
• Avoid any foods or drinks that wouldleave a stain on a white shirt.
• No Smoking for 24 hours, smoking a cigarette within the first 24 Hours will stain your teeth
• Moderate use of electronic cigarettes is OK.
• Avoid coloured toothpaste (red or blue) or Mouthwashfor 24 hours.
• Food and drinks that may be consumed are as follows:
• Plain chicken, fish & chips, potatoes, plain pasta and white sauces, cereals, Milk, 7up and white wine, once it is clear or white. More information and white food recipes are available on our website.