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To properly perform the whitening procedure at home:

1. Brush and floss just before whitening. The bleach works best on clean dry teeth. Therefore, making sure your teeth are clean is essential to getting the most out of any bleaching system.
2. Make sure the trays are clean and dry. It is easiest to simply brush the trays with your toothbrush and toothpaste using cold water. It’s often most convenient to clean your trays when you brush your teeth. Gently dry the trays with a towel or tissue. Any water left in they trays will reduce the efficiency of the whitening gel.
3. Place a thin bead of gel evenly across the bottom of the tray. If using a system that requires individual drops of gel then place a small drop of whitening gel on the inner front half of each tooth on the tray (so the gel will go on the front side of each tooth) that you want to whiten. It is not necessary to put the whitening gel on teeth with crowns or fillings because these will not whiten. It is also not always necessary to put whitening gel on the very back teeth as no one sees them.
4. Insert the whitening trays in the mouth with firm pressure to make sure that they are seated properly. Wipe off any excess whitening gel that extrudes out of the trays and onto the gums. Wear the trays as directed by your dentist (usually 15 minutes to 1 hour to overnight, depending on the type of whitening gel used).
5. After whitening, remove trays and rinse your teeth. If your bleaching kit comes with a desensitizing rinse you should use it at this time.
6. Trays should then be rinsed with cold water and cleaned by brushing with a toothbrush. The trays should then be stored in a tray holder in a cool, dry place.

When you have a tooth removed, you develop a blood clot over the removal site to protect and heal your underlying bone and nerve endings. This clot should stay in place until your gums have healed and your mouth is back to normal.

If the blood clot is accidentally removed from the socket you will experience a complication known as dry socket.

Here are some tips to prevent dry socket:

1. Avoid putting stress on the affected area
   • Don’t use straws
   • Do not brush or touch the socket area
2. Keep your mouth clean
   • Wait 24 hours before you start cleaning the extraction area
   • Gently brush your teeth and tongue, avoiding the affected area
   • 24 hours after the extraction, you can regularly rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash or salty water
3. Avoid smoking
4. Only eat soft food
5. Drink plenty of liquid
   • Water is the best option
   • Avoid sugary, caffeinated, or alcoholic beverages
6. Be aware of medical interactions
   • Some medications may prevent a proper blood clot from forming
7. Rest
8. Avoid participating in sports or other physical activities that could disturb your mouth

Call your dentist if you observe any of the following symptoms a few days after the surgery:

1. Pain radiating from the socket into the rest of your face and head
2. The blood clot is totally or partially missing
3. Bad breath

After the first appointment temporary veneers may be placed on the teeth to protect them as well as to prevent the movement of opposing and adjacent teeth. These temporary veneers are designed to be able to be removed when you return for your second appointment. As such, it is advisable to stay away from overly sticky or hard foods that may break or loosen the temporary veneers.

If the temporary veneers are loose or fall out, please replace them and call our office immediately so we can schedule you in ASAP to remake or recement your temporary veneers.

Your gums may be a little sore after the first appointment. Please use chlorhexidine rinse if prescribed. If your gums do not improve in 2 or 3 days please call our office. Often times you will not be prescribed a mouth rinse. In that case you can start a salt water rinse (1/2 tablespoon of salt in a cup of warm water) three to four times a day. If the gums do not improve after 2 or 3 days please call our office.

After the definitive veneers are inserted, do not eat anything for 45 minutes to allow the cement to completely set. Do not eat anything hard such as a raw carrot or a firm apple for 3 days. Also be careful eating hard or difficult to chew foods for the first few weeks. We may have made significant changes to the length and/or shape of your teeth and this may take a little getting used to.

Once a patient’s orthodontic procedures have been completed there are a number of concerns that must be addressed:

• Dental hygiene treatment and evaluation

When bands and arch wires have been removed there may be small residual amounts of bonding cement left behind that must be removed to maintain normal healthy gingival tissues. It is also possible that small areas of demineralization may have occurred that will need to be restored. Thus recall evaluation should be done at the dental office.

• Wearing of retainers

With the significant investment of time, effort and expense in completing your orthodontic treatment, we want the final results to be long lasting. Retainers must be worn for the prescribed time by your Orthodontist Please invest in this very important phase of your treatment and you will have great satisfaction in the future.

• Post oral hygiene

With the completion of your treatment you are no doubt a master at oral hygiene – brushing and flossing. We highly recommend that you maintain this habit with regular brushing, preferably with an ultrasonic brush and flossing. Please continue to keep up your regular recall hygiene maintenance schedule.

• Post orthodontic restorative treatment

Sometimes orthodontic treatment is a preliminary phase to final restoration of the dentition. This may include veneers, crowns or bridges, and implants. Please continue to visit your dentist on a regular basis so that this phase may be completed.