Post Treatment Care –Scaling and Root Planing

Most patients experience little to no discomfort after scaling and root planing. The most frequent complaints are: slight tenderness of the gum tissue, teeth that are mildly sensitive to cold drinks and foods, and discomfort when eating spicy foods. You may do the following to minimize any of these inconveniences:

• Avoid eating spicy foods for several days.

• Take an over-the-counter analgesic such as Advil or Aleve before your local anesthesia wears off. Later, you can take the same medication if you have any tenderness to the gums. If you must avoid these analgesics because you are already taking NSAID’s, are allergic to them or you have ulcers, then you may take acetaminophen (Tylenol). Please follow dosage recommendations on the product labels.

• You may rinse with warm salt water as often as you wish. Stir no more than ¼ teaspoon of table salt and ¼ teaspoon of baking soda into a cup warm water to use as your rinse solution. This will help sooth any gum tissues that may be tender after the root planing procedure.

• It is important to maintain good plaque control to promote optimal healing after scaling and root planing. Therefore, please perform all home care procedures as prescribed by your dentist or hygienist.

• You may experience some sort of discomfort when you drink cold liquids or eat cold foods. This sensitivity is the most common complaint after root planing and is due to removal of tarter from the tooth root surfaces. Any sensitivity should gradually go away in a few weeks; however, in some cases, the sensitivity can take longer to go away. Try to avoid really cold liquids and foods for a few days or more after scaling and root planing is performed. If needed, you can use desensitizing toothpastes to help reduce the sensitivity.

Please call the office if you have any further questions or concerns

There are no silly questions…be safe and not sorry!!!

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