- Before your procedure, stock up on toothpaste for sensitive teeth, soft and/or liquid foods, pain medicine and numbing agents. Be sure to arrange for somebody to pick you up and take you home after the surgery.
- Immediately following the procedure, get in bed and rest. Be sure to keep handy your dentist's instructions, which you should follow to the letter, and a contact number for someone who can help you if necessary, if you live alone. Rest is one of the best ways you can let yourself heal. If possible, take a couple of days off from work until you feel stronger, but at the very least take the rest of the day off following the procedure.
- Be very careful of your new tooth while cleaning it. Start small by swishing your mouth with microbial rinse, provided by the dentist, or warm salt water. If it isn't too painful, gently brush your teeth with the toothpaste you purchased for sensitive teeth. Cleanliness is of utmost importance so that you don't develop any infections or gum disease.
- Be sure to get proper nutrition while you recover, although it may take some time before you want most foods or are able to get them down. Start with brothy soups, then make the transition to mashed potatoes, pudding, milk shakes and other soft foods. Follow your dentist's instructions about when is the best time to move to solids.
- While your dentist may have prescribed pain medications, you may need to resort to over-the-counter remedies such as ibuprofen, which can be taken in strong doses to control pain. Be sure not to take more than the suggested amount in a day, and read all instructions to prevent any bad side effects.
- Do not smoke or use straws following your procedure. This will undermine your new tooth's ability to bind to the bone, and could lead to painful dry sockets, a condition in which the hole fails to close, exposing the root.
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