Post-Operative Instructions: Bone Grafting

After Your Surgery

Post-Operative Instructions

Your bone graft is made up of many particles. You may find some small granules in your mouth for the first several days. Do not be alarmed; it’s normal to have some of them come out of the graft site and into your mouth. There are some things you could do to minimize the amount of particles that become dislodged:

• Do not disturb or touch the wound.
• Avoid rinsing your mouth until the day following surgery.
• 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 cause damage to the wound site and tear the sutures.
• Do not smoke.
• Maintain a soft food diet to avoid chewing on or displacing the bone graft material.
• Brush your teeth as usual but be careful to not brush the graft area directly.

Following the day of surgery, gentle rinsing is allowed but not too vigorously as you can again disturb some of the bone graft granules. If a partial denture or a flipper was placed in your mouth, you might have to see your restorative dentist to have it adjusted and learn how to remove and replace it appropriately.

If a membrane was used, it will appear white. You will have a follow-up appointment 3 weeks following your procedure to have the membrane removed.

You may have had surgical glue placed over the bone graft. This material will feel somewhat stiff and is there to aid in the healing of your graft. This layer of glue will be removed at your post-operative visit.

In Case of Problems

You should experience no trouble if you follow the instructions and suggestions as outlined. But if you should have any problems, such as excessive bleeding, pain, or difficulty in opening your mouth, call our office immediately for further instructions or additional treatment.