Apicoectomy Post Care Instructions

We would like to thank you for trusting us with your dental care. We know many patients can be apprehensive prior to root
canal treatment and hope you had a good experience. To help insure long-term success for the surgical treatment, here is a list of recommendations to follow after leaving our office:

• Take it easy for the remainder of the day. Avoid heavy lifting, aerobic exercise, anything that can get your heart
  pumping more, as it can cause swelling in the surgical area. Sleep with your head elevated tonight.
• Eat softer foods for the next couple of days. Avoid anything hard or crunchy (i.e. chips, nuts, seeds, popcorn), as we do
  not want it to irritate the gum tissue and sutures.
• Do not brush or floss in the surgical area for a week. The prescription mouth rinse will address any bacteria in
  that area and help the gums to heal. Follow instructions on bottle and use for 2 weeks.
• The sutures that were placed in the surgical area are dissolvable. They should dissolve in approximately 5-7 days. If
  they feel loose, you can tease them out.
• Apply an ice bag to the outside of the surgical site for 10 minutes and then take it off for 10 minutes, alternating this
  pattern for the rest of the day. This will help minimize swelling.
• We recommend Advil [Ibuprofen] and Tylenol [Acetaminophen] for any discomfort after the procedure for the next
  several days.
• There is sometimes temporary numbness in the surgical site from the anesthetic. This should improve with time. If it
  does not, please let us know.
• After 48 hours, we recommend doing warm salt water rinses. A ½ cup warm water to ½ tsp salt. Gently swish around
  and spit out. Do this several times a day for a couple of days.
• It is normal to expect some oozing of blood for the next couple of days. The surgical area can be sore anywhere from a
  few days even up to a month. This is normal healing time.

Your health and comfort are our number one priorities. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any questions or
concerns.