- Please wear your appliance at all times, even while sleeping, or as instructed by our office. Doing so will help reduce treatment time and will also ensure the best possible results from your orthodontic treatment.
- Please be sure to bring your appliance to every orthodontic appointment.
- Please clean your removable device both morning and night to remove dental plaque. You can clean the appliance with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Please place your removable device in the provided case any time it is not being worn.
- If you have pets, please do not place your removable device anywhere that your pets can reach them. Pets are attracted to saliva and would enjoy chewing on your appliance!
- Please do not place your appliance in or on a napkin or tissue. Many appliances have accidentally been thrown out this way!
- You may remove your appliance while participating in physical activities, but be sure to wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth, gums, and lips.
Do
- Use your fingers to put your aligners in place. First place the aligners over your front teeth, and then use your fingers to push the aligner down gently over your molars. When aligners are correctly inserted, they will fit all the way down on the teeth, with no space between the top of the aligners and the top of the teeth. Aligners will fit tightly at first but should fit well at the end of the two week period.
- Keep aligners in except when flossing, brushing, eating. It’s also best to remove the aligners when drinking warm beverages such as coffee or tea.
- Remove the aligner by pulling it off both sides of your back teeth simultaneously then lifting it off of your front teeth. Place your aligners in the case we provided any time they are not being worn.
- Clean aligners with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Wear each set of aligners for two weeks unless our office directs you to vary from this schedule.
- Wear aligners in the correct numerical order. (Each aligner is labeled by number and with a U or an L to designate upper or lower.)
- Keep all of your old aligners and bring them to your orthodontic appointments.
Don’t
- Don’t place your aligners in or on a napkin or tissue. Many aligners have accidentally been thrown out this way!
- Don’t use your teeth to “bite” your aligners into place.
- If you have pets, don’t place your aligners anywhere that your pets can reach them. Pets are attracted to saliva and would enjoy chewing on your Invisalign trays!
- Do not use Denture cleaner, alcohol, or bleach to clean your aligners.
- Do not use boiling water or warm water on your aligners.
- Don’t chew gum with your aligners in.
- It would be best not to smoke while wearing aligners. The smoke can stain the aligners as well as your teeth.
Just in Case
- If you lose the tab attached to your tooth that helps the aligner snap on, please call our office right away so that we can determine if you need to come in before your next scheduled appointment.
- If you lose one of your aligner trays, please wear the next tray if you have it. If you do not have the next tray, please wear the previous tray. It is extremely important to use a tray to keep teeth from shifting. Call our office to let us know which tray was lost so that we can determine if a replacement tray is needed. There will be a fee if replacement trays are required.
Following Bleaching:
- Teeth are more susceptible to staining for the first 48 hours following bleaching treatments. For the first 48 hours after whitening, it is best to avoid dark-colored foods or beverages that can stain your teeth. Any item that can stain your clothes can also stain your teeth.
- Avoid berries, cola or other dark sodas, red wine, coffee and tea, tobacco, and ketchup, soy, or other dark sauces.
Following Custom Trays:
- Follow the instructions given by our office, placing the bleaching gel in the center of each tooth position on the tray so that the gel will rest against the anterior surface of the teeth once it is placed in your mouth.
- Wear trays for the recommended time.
- Rinse the mouth, and gently remove any gel remaining on your teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush.
- Clean the trays.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping is normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Avoid forcefully rinsing or spitting or drinking through a straw. Biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes will help reduce bleeding. Some bleeding is normal for the first 24 hours. If bleeding continues please call our office.
- Please take all medications, including mouth rinses, as prescribed.
- After 24 hours, warm salt water rinses (one-half teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used 4-5 times a day after meals.
- After 24 hours, brush your teeth with a soft manual toothbrush. Be gentle with brushing the surgical areas.
- Sutures may be placed after the surgery, and most sutures dissolve on their own.
- Swelling and bruising may occur and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the surgical site will help minimize swelling.
- If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice 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 the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from spicy or acidic foods. Also avoid sharp and crunchy foods like tacos, chips, and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol should not be used. Alcohol should not be used in combination with pain medications nor antibiotics.
- Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. Avoid strenuous activity for 2-3 days.
- If a surgical bandage was used, it will ideally remain in place for 24 hours. There is no need for you to remove it; it will come off when ready. Once it does, you can begin cleaning the wound gently with a cotton swab dipped in a mouth rinse.
Instructions Following a Prophy (Cleaning)
Your child may experience some tenderness for a day or two. If this persists, you may have them rinse with warm salt water 2-3 times per day. For discomfort you may also give your child Children’s Tylenol, Advil or Motrin as directed for the age and weight of your child.
Instructions Following Fluoride Treatment
Patients should not rinse, eat, or drink for at least 30 minutes to maximize the fluoride’s direct contact with the teeth.
Instructions Following Sealant Placement
Your child may notice that the tooth feels different because of the new sealant. The teeth and bite will feel normal again in a couple of days. Your child should avoid sticky, crunchy, or hard foods for 24 hours following the placement of the sealant.
- Do not eat or chew until any numbness from anesthesia has worn off.
- If you are supervising a child who has had treatment, make certain that they are not eating or chewing while numb. Please make sure they do not bite their lips or tongue as doing so can cause serious injury to their soft tissue.
- Avoid sticky, crunchy, or hard foods for 24 hours.
- Sensitivity to cold and heat, as well as any soreness, should not last more than a few days.
- Please call our office if you experience pain or discomfort for more than a few days.
- Dentures and partials will often need several adjustments in order to fit comfortably.
- To help yourself adjust to your dentures you can practice reading aloud for a little while each day.
- Dentures should be removed overnight or for at least 6 hours a day to give your mouth and gums time to rest.
- At night you should remove your dentures and clean them. They should be stored in a clean container filled with denture cleaning solution.
- Food particles can become trapped under dentures causing inflammation or sore spots. Lightly brush the roof of your mouth, your tongue, and your gums after removing your dentures.
- You may have discomfort for a few days after receiving your final dentures or partials.
Ongoing Care:
- Brush your teeth and the surrounding tissues after every meal and snack and flossing at least once a day before bedtime. If you have full dentures, brushing the dentures daily is very important.
- Rinsing your mouth with water or mouthwash will help to remove any additional particles that may have been missed during brushing and flossing.
- Make sure to visit our office at least once a year to have your dentures or partial adjusted and checked by the doctor. Wearing ill-fitting dentures or partials without proper care and adjustment can cause bone loss in the jaw area and oral disease.
- Please call our office if you are experiencing ongoing pain or discomfort or if you have any concerns regarding your denture or partial.
- Immediately following surgery, maintain pressure on the surgical area by biting down on the provided gauze pad or roll until the bleeding stops. A certain amount of bleeding is to be expected following a surgical procedure. Placing the gauze pad over the area and biting firmly will help prevent excessive bleeding. Replace the gauze as necessary until the bleeding stops.
- Children should be supervised after having an extraction to make sure they do not bite or chew their tongue or lips as this can cause serious injury to the soft tissue.
- Please fill any prescriptions you have been given and take as directed. If you have been prescribed pain medication other than aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), do not drive, operate heavy equipment, work around machinery or tools, or engage in any other activity that may be unsafe when groggy, as your reflexes and judgment will be affected by the medication.
- Antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent infection. If you have been placed on antibiotics, take the medicine as directed.
- Swelling around the face, eyes, and surgical site is not uncommon although it may not appear until the day following the surgery and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the extraction site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice 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 the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- For 24 hours following your surgery, do not suck on a straw, brush, rinse, spit, or smoke. Avoid hot and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
- Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid excessive work or play, and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.
- After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day.
- During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies.
- Sutures may have been placed. Most sutures placed by our office will dissolve on their own in 7-10 days, and it may not be necessary to return to the office for sutures to be removed. If you have sutures that do need a follow-up visit for removal, we will let you know at the time they are placed.
- Please call our office if you experience severe pain, excessive bleeding or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In the event of an emergency please call our office. If you are experiencing a serious or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.
Following Tooth Preparation:
- Sensitivity and tenderness of the tooth and surrounding gums is common for the first day or two after a tooth has been prepared for a restoration. If the tenderness or sensitivity lasts longer than this, please contact our office.
- If anesthesia is used, avoid chewing, biting, and eating until the numbness wears off.
- The final restoration may be placed the same day that the tooth is prepared or may be placed during a separate appointment.
For Temporary Restorations:
- Eat softer foods, and avoid foods that are particularly crunchy, chewy, or hard.
- Carefully clean around the restoration, brushing and flossing daily. Be gentle when flossing, taking extra care not to loosen the temporary restoration. Slowly pulling the floss out by one end can help avoid putting too much pressure on the temporary.
- If the temporary restoration becomes loose or breaks, please call us immediately.
After Final Restoration Placement:
- Avoid chewing on hard, crunchy, or sticky foods for 24 hours in order to give time for the cement to fully bond.
- Mild sensitivity to hot or cold foods is not unusual and should dissipate after a few weeks. If sensitivity lasts more than six weeks, please let the office know.
Ongoing Care:
- Proper care of your restoration includes brushing your teeth after every meal and snack, and flossing at least once a day before bedtime.
- Rinsing your mouth with water or mouthwash will also help to remove any additional particles that may have been missed during brushing and flossing.
Please call our office if you are in pain or have any questions regarding your treatment.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping are normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Avoid forcefully rinsing or spitting or drinking through a straw. Biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes will help reduce bleeding. Some bleeding is normal for the first 24 hours. If bleeding continues please call our office.
- Please take all medications, including mouth rinses, as prescribed.
- After 24 hours, brushing and oral hygiene procedures should be done as usual in all untreated areas. In the treated areas, please limit your oral hygiene to brushing using a soft manual toothbrush. Avoid dental flossing in treated areas during the first week following surgery. No undiluted mouthwash, salt water or peroxide rinses should be used during the first week following surgery.
- Swelling and bruising may occur and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the surgical site will help minimize swelling.
- If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice 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 the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from spicy or acidic foods. Also avoid sharp and crunchy foods like tacos, chips and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol should not be used. Alcohol should not be used in combination with pain medications nor antibiotics.
- Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. Avoid strenuous activity for 2-3 days.
- If a surgical bandage was used, it will ideally remain in place for 24 hours. There is no need for you to remove it; it will come off when ready. Once it does, you can begin cleaning the wound gently with a cotton swab dipped in a mouth rinse.