🕤 Before surgery (three weeks)

Smoking and Fixed Hybrid Dentures don’t go together. Why did you lose your teeth/tooth in the first place? We know smoking can be difficult to quit but we insist that patients stop smoking at least three weeks before their Fixed Hybrid Dentures.

On unusual occasions, we might ask you to stop smoking sooner, because it can interfere with your recovery, by reducing blood flow, which may also prevent the wound from nicely healing. You should not smoke until our Dental Surgeon authorizes you.

🕤 Before surgery (three weeks)

We know you will be on vacation and the all-inclusive bar might be tempting. You must stay away from any alcoholic beverage for a minimum of five days before your procedure. Alcohol causes increased bleeding, and the chances of infection, as well as depress immune functions and might interfere with wound recovery.

🕤 Before surgery (three weeks)

Over-the-counter and prescribed

Please check with your physician about suspending any medication prior to arrival.

Our Dental Surgeon or Dental Coordinator will inform you to temporarily stop some medications within the weeks ahead.

🕤 Before surgery (three weeks)

It is essential that you maintain a healthy food plan. You will be on a soft mechanical diet or modified and adapted to your surgery, so you must follow these instructions. Get protein supplements like Ensure or Boost, as well as soft foods like well-cooked pasta, yogurt, eggs, broths, and soup. We will provide you with a list of dietary suggestions in your post-op packet as well.

🕤 Before surgery (two weeks)

• You must consult with your physician before discontinuing any medication.

• Any anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis, (remember to consult your physician).

• Any kind of anticoagulants.

• Vitamin E took internally.

• If you have any doubt about these medications, please contact us.

IMPORTANT! These medications may cause excessive bleeding.

🕤 Before surgery (two weeks)

During this period, we recommend you to take:

• A multivitamin tablet – daily (most multivitamins contain some form of vitamin E, but is suitable to take before surgery. We will ask you to avoid taking any extra vitamin E).

• Vitamin A – twice a day: 8000 to 10,000 units (this has well-documented beneficial effects on surgical healing and also will help your immune system).

• Vitamin C – two times a day: 1000 mg (after your surgical procedure your need for vitamin C will increase, and it is important for collagen synthesis, which helps to wound recovery).

• Pineapple enzyme – twice a day (you find it on health food stores and it is a great help to relieve the swelling related to a surgical dental procedure. This anti-inflammatory promotes healing).

🕤 Before surgery: One week, until two weeks after surgery

You must eat:

• On each meal: a small amount of protein.

• Daily: three green vegetables and two fruits (according to diet instructions).

• Frequently: healthy meals.

IMPORTANT! Your food plan can useful resource for healing remarkably and decreasing swelling and pain.

🕤 Before surgery: One week

• You may begin taking a topical anti-inflammatory every eight hours as directed and continue for 10 days.

• Every 12 hours between meals, take pineapple enzyme as directed (it is an anti-inflammatory and helps to heal). Fresh pineapple is a good alternative.

Standards of good oral hygiene are critical for the success and functionality of dentures. The best way to prevent infection and ensure healing is to keep your mouth clean. Clean your mouth thoroughly after each meal beginning the day after surgery. Use a soft-bristle toothbrush and toothpaste after meals and at bedtime. The use of a dental Waterpik is highly recommended to irrigate underneath the denture to flush out debris.

After a dental implant surgery is normally pink or blood-tinged saliva for two or three days and does not indicate any problem, even minimal bleeding is expected. In this case, the best way to stop it is by placing a damp piece of gauze and softly biting for 30 minutes while rest keeping your head elevated.

In case the bleeding continues, repeat the gauze step for an additional 30 minutes. The suture material may last from two to three weeks, and you should not pull or cut the sutures by yourself.

After any surgery, swelling is a normal reaction of the body and the first step to healing. In the beginning, swelling will not become visible until 24 hours after your Post-surgery, and couldn’t reach its peak for two or three days. After this period, the swelling decreases but may persist from seven to 10 days. You can minimize swelling by applying immediate ice packs to the outside of the face for 20 minutes on, and then 20 minutes off while awake for the first 24 hours.

First, remember that a specialist must prescribe all medications and you should not exceed the recommended dosage. Because most oral surgery is followed by some amount of discomfort, the surgeon may suggest taking any anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal medication (only if you are not allergic to it), before the local anesthetic wears off.

In case of intense pain, you should require calm pain medication under prescription, which will cause you to feel drowsy, so you shall not operate any mechanical machinery or drive while taking the prescription. About the post-operative antibiotics, they must be taken as directed and the entire course of the prescription. For the first weeks after your dental implant surgery, you could also be prescribed an antibacterial mouth rinse which must be used two times a day.

We suggest starting with liquids, after a general anesthetic or conscious IV sedation, and must avoid hot meals or hot liquids while numb. The limited food intake that is required for the first days could be compensated by increasing the fluid intake, with high protein shakes to replace meal supplements. For the first six weeks you must follow a soft chew diet, so if you cannot cut easily any food, please avoid eating it.

🕤 48 hours after your Fixed Hybrid Dentures surgery

For the first 48 hours after your Fixed Hybrid Dentures surgery, you must rest and relax without any physical activity. After these 48 hours, you should resume activity as tolerated.

Eat:

• Gelatin

• Yogurt

• Pudding

• Cream of wheat / Oatmeal

• Mashed potatoes

• Soups

• Ice cream

• Cottage cheese

• Applesauce

• Scrambled eggs

• Fish

• Pasta (well-cooked)

• Pancakes

Drink:

• Water

• Popsicles

• Protein shakes / Smoothies

• Juice

• Milkshakes

• Ice chips

When numbness is gone you can increase diet as tolerated by adding soft food

• Try to keep your lips moist with special ointments (such as Vaseline) to avoid the corners of your mouth drying and cracking.

• Sore throats and pain when swallowing are not uncommon. The muscles get swollen and the normal act of swallowing can become painful. This will subside in 2 to 3 days.

• Stiffness of the jaw muscles may cause difficulty in opening your mouth for a few days. Do not force your mouth open. Massage the muscles and apply moist heat.

• With upper jaw implant treatment, you may develop bleeding from the nose. This is usually a temporary finding and will not persist past 2 to 3 days. Avoid blowing your nose for several days.

• An appointment with your general dentist may be needed within a few days of surgery to make any adjustments to your temporary denture.

• Your case is individual as no two mouths are alike. Discuss all questions or concerns with your oral surgeon or implant coordinator.