Caring for Your Mouth After Crown Lengthening Treatment
- A certain amount of pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping is expected after oral surgery. Please avoid pulling on your lip to check the surgical site, and do not touch or probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Please avoid rinsing forcefully, spitting, or drinking through a straw. Placing a gauze pad directly on the wound and biting down on it for 30 minutes can help reduce bleeding. Some bleeding is expected during the first 24 hours, so please contact our office if the bleeding does not stop.
- Be sure to take every medication prescribed to you, including any prescribed mouth rinses, exactly as directed.
- Once 24 hours have passed, you may resume your normal brushing and oral hygiene routine in any area that was not treated. In the treated area, limit your oral hygiene to gentle brushing with a soft manual toothbrush. Do not floss the treated site during the first week after surgery, and avoid using full-strength mouthwash, salt water rinses, or peroxide rinses during that same week.
- It is common for swelling and bruising to occur, often becoming most noticeable two to three days after surgery. Placing a cold compress against the face near the surgical site can help keep swelling to a minimum.
- When using an ice pack, never place it directly against bare skin. Keep a cloth between the ice pack and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off, as needed. After 36 hours, cold therapy will no longer have an effect on swelling, and applying moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce any swelling that remains.
- Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Steer clear of spicy or acidic foods, along with hard or crunchy items such as tacos, chips, and nuts. Do not use tobacco or alcohol, and never combine alcohol with pain medication or antibiotics.
- Limit physical activity right after your procedure, and hold off on any strenuous exercise for two to three days.
- When a surgical bandage has been placed, it should ideally stay in position for about 24 hours. There is no need to remove it yourself, as it will come off naturally when it is ready. Once it does, you can begin gently cleaning the area with a cotton swab dipped in a mouth rinse.