POSTOPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOWING BONE GRAFTING:

You may find some small granules in your mouth for the first several days. Do not be alarmed by these. It’s normal to have some of them come out of the graft site and into your mouth.

Do not vigorously rinse or spit for 3-5 days

Do not apply pressure with your tongue or fingers to the grafted area, as the material is movable during the initial healing.

Do not lift or pull on the lip to look at the sutures. This can actually cause damage to the wound site and tear the sutures.

First Day: let the blood clot stabilize, do not even rinse your mouth. Following the first day: gentle rinsing would be advised but not too vigorously. ABSOLUTELY NO WATER PIK’S.

POSTOPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOWING SINUS GRAFTING:

1. Do not blow your nose.
2. If you must sneeze, do so with your mouth open to avoid any unnecessary pressure
3. Do not smoke or use smokeless tobacco. Smoking greatly inhibits the healing,especially in the sinus graft.
4. Do not take liquids in through a straw
5. Do not lift or pull up on your lip to look at the stitches, as this may actually create damage and tear the stitches.
6. Take your antibiotics as directed and until finished.
7. You may have some bleeding from the nose. This is not uncommon and should pass quickly.
8. You may be aware of small granules in your mouth for the next few days. This is not unusual, as your graft is mainly made of particles and some excess particles will be lost.
9. If you feel congested, you may need to use antihistamines or decongestants. If you do, Use over the counter products such as Sudafed, Tavist-D or Dimetapp. I would also suggest that you avoid nasal sprays unless they are saline.