Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule

After each procedure, your personal nurse will go through some advice and information on how to look after the area that has been worked on. Please find below our general postoperative instructions:

Please note these may change due to the type of treatment you have had. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Local Anaesthetic: If we have used local anaesthetic to numb you up, you have to be very careful not to bite your lip or cheek whilst numb. You will be numb for approximately two hours after your injection so avoid having anything too hot to eat or drink.

Fillings: The tooth coloured filling is set hard when you leave, so you can eat and drink straight away on it, there is no need to wait for it to set.

The filling may be sensitive for the next day or two. This is due to the bonding of the filling to your natural tooth structure. If this doesn’t settle down then please do not hesitate to contact us.

If the filling was particularly deep you may have problems further down the track with the nerve of the tooth. Contact us if you do.

Crown, Bridge and Veneer Preparations: After your treatment you will have a temporary cap on the tooth that is cemented with temporary cement. You will need to be very careful and avoid eating anything too hard or chewy and also avoid using dental floss or toothpicks, as this will flick the temporary cap off.

If the temporary cap happens to come off, keep it and contact us immediately to have it re-cemented. Do not leave the temporary off for days at a time as the teeth may move.

Occasionally we place cord around the edge of the tooth. This enables the provider to get a very accurate impression, but may create a sore gum around this tooth for a day or two.

Your impression is sent to a laboratory where the new restoration(s) is fabricated. We will need to see you again to cement the permanent one(s) in.

Crown, Bridge and Veneer Inserts: Once we have cemented your new restoration in place you will need to avoid eating anything too hard or chewy on it for the first 24 hours while the cement sets hard. In this first 24 hours we will also get you to avoid using dental floss and tooth picks. Once the cement has set hard you are able to return to your normal diet and flossing regime.

If you have had a bridge inserted, your dentist or nurse will show you a specialised flossing technique that is suited to your bridge.

Denture Inserts: Take your new denture out at night and place it in a glass of water. Never use toothpaste to clean the denture, as it is too abrasive. Instead, just simply brush the denture with warm soapy water and rinse well before wearing.

If your denture starts to rub in a particular spot or feels too loose, please do not hesitate to contact us to make an appointment to have it assessed and/or altered.

Extractions:  Keep firm pressure on the gauze pack for the next 20-30 mins or until the bleeding stops. If the pack becomes blood soaked take it out and replace it with the fresh one provided.

Avoid smoking and alcohol for at least 24 hours.

Use a pain-relieving medication such as Nurofen or Panadol as required.

Don’t rinse your mouth or spit for the next 24 hours as you will dislodge the blood clot and the healing process will be interrupted. After 24 hours you can gently rinse your mouth with salt water, holding it in the area of the extraction. If possible, repeat this three times daily, otherwise morning and night will be sufficient. (½ teaspoon of salt into ½ glass of warm water to help reduce pain, swelling and risk of infection.)

Avoid brushing the affected area for the first 24 hours but maintain good plaque control on other areas. After the first day brush the affected area slightly.

Eat softer foods for the first week, avoiding foods that may get caught in the socket such as chips and peanuts