Crowns and Bridges may take one to three visits to complete.  Dr. Lambrakos will inform you of your treatment options and the time needed to complete the procedure(s).  You may have some sensitivity following treatment with tenderness around the gum and tooth for a day or two.  If the tenderness or sensitivity last longer than this please contact our office. If anesthesia is used avoid chewing, biting, and eating until the numbness has worn off.  If you have a temporary placed eat softer foods and avoid foods that are particularly crunchy, chewy or hard.  If the temporary restorations become loose or breaks, please call us immediately.

Carefully clean around the restoration, brushing and flossing daily.  When flossing, take extra care not to loosen the temporary restoration by removing the floss too hard.  You can slowly thread the floss out by one end if necessary to avoid too much pressure on the temporary.

Once your final restoration has been placed 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, but this happens infrequently.  Ongoing care for 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 with 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. 

Scaling and root planing therapy includes removing tartar and bacterial plaque from the root surface below the gum line.  This helps reduce inflammation and infection and improves the depth of periodontal pockets, therefore allowing more efficient flossing and brushing.

For the first 24 hours you may experience some cold and heat sensitivity.  Do not eat, drink, chew or consume hot foods or beverages until the numbness has worn off following anesthetic.  Avoid vigorous physical exercise and foods and are extremely hot or spicy for the first 24 hours and do not consume alcoholic beverages or smoke for at least 48 hours.  Some bleeding following a deep cleaning is normal, but if you experience excessive bleeding please call our office.

You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen according to the instructions on the label or those provided by your doctor as needed.  A warm salt water rinse, approximately one teaspoon in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day can be helpful.  Brush and floss gently following a deep cleaning, resume normal brushing and flossing when the soreness is gone.

Follow any other instructions provided by our office on your visit.  Please take all medications as prescribed.

 You may have discomfort for a few days after receiving your final dentures or partials.  Dentures and partials will often need several adjustments in order to fit comfortably.  To help adjust to your dentures you can practice reading aloud for a little while each day.  At night you should remove your dentures and clean them. They should be stored in a clean container filled with denture cleaning solution.  Dentures should be removed for at least 6 hours a day to give your mouth and gums time to rest.  Food particles can become trapped under dentures causing inflammation or sore spots.  Brush the roof of your mouth, your tongue and lightly brush your gums after removing your dentures.

Ongoing care for your restoration includes brushing your teeth and surrounding tissues after every meal and snack, and flossing at least once a day before bedtime unless you have full dentures, in which case brushing them is very important.  Rinsing your mouth with water or mouthwash will also help to remove any additional particles that may have been missed during brushing and flossing.

You should 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 severe bone loss and very serious oral disease.  Please call our office at the first signs of any symptoms or if you are experiencing ongoing pain or discomfort.

Provisional Crowns

Using temporary cement, a temporary crown will be placed to protect your teeth and gums while your permanent restoration is being created. Additionally, this temporary will help prevent adjacent teeth from shifting, which will help ensure that your permanent crown fits.

To make sure that the temporary stays in place between appointments, please be sure to:

• Avoid chewing gum and eating sticky or hard foods
• If possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth.
• Brush and floss carefully each day, using care to pull the floss out from the side as you floss next to the temporary instead of pulling it out from the top, which can loosen the temporary. We do offer a product called Superfloss, a thicker, sturdier floss- that may offer better control. Please let us know if you are interested in Superfloss.
• To ensure the proper fit of your final restoration, it is important that your temporary stays in place.  If your temporary does come off, call us immediately so we can make an appointment to cement it back into place.

Please call our office if you experience the following:

• Your bite feels uneven
• You have persistent pain

Provisional Veneers

It will take approximately 2 weeks for the fabrication of a porcelain laminate veneer.

Please be very careful with your teeth between the time of preparation for the veneers and the actual placement. Please be sure to let us know if there is anything you do not like about the temporaries- size, shape, or color- so that we can communicate that feedback to the lab.

You may have some sensitivity to hot and cold following treatment, along with tenderness around the gum and tooth for a day or two. This is normal and due to the removal of a small amount of enamel from the tooth, and it should disappear once the permanent veneers are placed. If the tenderness or sensitivity last longer,  please contact our office.

The appointment for the insertion of the laminate is usually longer in length, but after this appointment, your treatment will be complete. Your laminates will be placed using a resin which is hardened by using light.

While the temporaries are fragile, they should be serviceable for the amount of time required to create your permanent restoration. However, the cement used to attach the temporaries is not as strong, so please use care while eating. Avoid sticky candies and any hard substances such as peanut brittle or popcorn hulls. Also, avoid biting on pencils, fingernails or ice until the permanent veneers are placed.

Whenever the position of your teeth or your bite itself is changed, it may take a few days to adjust to the new seating of your bite. If you detect any high spots or experience any problems once the numbness wears off, please call our office to schedule an adjustment.

You may also experience soreness and swelling in your gums for several days. Rinsing your mouth three times a day with warm salt water will relieve the pain and swelling. Dissolve one teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water, gently swish, and then spit carefully.

Any discomfort can be alleviated by mild, over the counter pain medications. Please be sure to follow the instructions on the label or those provided by Dr. Lambrakos.

You may also notice that your speech may be altered for the first few days. This is normal and should not be cause for concern. You will quickly adapt to the new feel of your mouth and your normal speech should return quickly.

Please refrain from using either smoking or chewing tobacco products. Both products will quickly stain your temporaries.

Also, please refrain from drinking red wine, colas, coffee and tea, which can all stain both your teeth and your temporaries. Be sure to brush or rinse immediately after consuming them. Eating berries or other acidic foods can de-bond your veneers if frequently consumed, so please avoid eating them if at all possible.

If your temporary becomes loose, please press it back in place and call our office as soon as possible. It is still necessary to cement it back in using the temporary cement. If the temporary comes completely out,  you can mix a small amount of petroleum jelly with a powder of some sort (baking soda, baking powder or flour), then line the temporary with the paste and place it back on the tooth. Push down with enough pressure to let your bite come together, but use care not to break it in half. Temporary cements are also available in drug stores if you are unable come in immediately.

It is important to maintain the health of your gum tissue while waiting on your permanent porcelain veneers. For the next two weeks, gently brush with a soft toothbrush and swish vigorously for at least 30 seconds daily with a mouthwash to remove daily plaque buildup.