1. Numbness of your lip, tongue or palate may persist for several hours. Do not chew gum, eat, drink hot liquids or smoke until the anesthetic has worn off to prevent injury from accidentally biting or burning oneself. 

 

2. Soreness may occur at the tooth, the surrounding gum, the injection sites or the jaw joint. If these occur, apply moist heat to the affected area and take an analgesic/antiinflammatory, such as ibuprofen or similar product (if medically able to do so). 

 

3. When a temporary restoration made out of acrylic or thin plastic has been placed on your tooth, avoid sticky or crunchy foods to avoid loosening or fracturing this restoration. 

 

4. If the bite feels “high” on the temporary restoration, please call the office to have it adjusted. Failure to do so can result in a toothache or fracture of the temporary restoration. 

 

5. Brush your temporary restoration daily. When flossing, slide the floss out from between the teeth instead of lifting it back out to avoid loosening the temporary restoration. 

 

6. If your temporary restoration loosens, call the office to have it re-cemented. If you are unable to come in, a pea size amount of toothpaste applied inside the crown or bridge will hold it in place temporarily.  Another option is 1 drop of elmers school glue inside the crown and then seat the crown and hold for 10 min. Don't worry, it's safe and effective for this use.  

 

7. When the final restoration has been placed, brush and floss accordingly. Do not chew on ice cubes or other hard objects or continue deleterious habits, such as biting on popsicle sticks, pens etc. Use Sensodyne toothpaste with fluoride if thermal sensitivity occurs. Also, if the bite feels unusual, please call to have it checked. 

 

8. On occasion, damage to the pulp of the tooth may occur following any restorative procedure due to a variety of reasons. If this occurs, further treatment, such as root canal therapy may be necessary. 

 

9. Regular dental examinations are important to maintain the function and appearance of one’s crowns, bridges, etc. 

 

 

 If you have any questions, please feel free to call the office, 816-633-5393.  After hours, you may reach the doctors via the comand prompt on the office answering service.