How to Take Care of Your Temporaries

Hi there Dr. Ashish Patel here. Congratulations on getting your new smile today! I want to share with you some important tips on how to take care of your temporary restorations to ensure that they stay in great shape until your permanent ones are ready. While your temporaries may look really good and as good as some people’s permanent restorations, they’re made of plastic and require some special care. So, first, let’s

talk about the items that we’ve given to you in your take-home bag and how to use them. Okay, so in your bag you should have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and then you should also have some syringes and some syringe tips. So, all you need to do to get started with the peroxide, which you do six times a

day, is draw up some of it without the tip on it, draw it up, then you have some hydrogen peroxide

in here. Put the tip on it just like that, and then go around the margins of each of the teeth, both from

the front and from the back. As you’re kind of pushing down on this to get the peroxide to go around the margins, the peroxide bubbles and keeps the bacteria from forming along the temporaries. So, you want to do this six times a day. Once you get done with the peroxide, you’re going to take some of your Bridge-Aids,

which come in this envelope. They look like this. You’re going to get about 12 inches of floss with the Glide floss that we have in the bag and you’re going to thread it just like you would a needle if you’re sewing. Get that in there and then go about halfway and then pull it like that. Then, take the the Bridge-Aid. For the top I like it angled down and for the bottom it’ll be angled up. Then, start from the top and go all the way through,

just like that. And then, because your temporaries are all tied together, you won’t be able to come back down. Just pull it all the way through and then you would have flossed that area. So, we want you to floss after every

meal if you can and brush after every meal but a barebones minimum on the

flossing is twice a day. And before you do the flossing, you have a prescription for some viscous lidocaine take some of that open up the bottle put a little bit in the cup and just swish around with it for about 30 seconds and that’ll help numb your gums. You really only have to do that for the first few days until the gums kind of heal. Then, after that, you shouldn’t have to do it. Make sure you use the soft toothbrush that’s included in your bag

for your brushing after every meal, and that’s how you’re going to take care of your temporaries for this next four to 6 weeks. You’ve also received a custom night guard and it’s really important to wear this Custom Night Guard every night. Now, here are some important tips to remember while wearing your custom temporaries: Eat soft foods that you can consume with a fork or a spoon. If you can’t cut it with a fork, it’s off

limits for right now. Avoid drinks and foods that can stain like red wine, coffee, ketchup, mustard, certain juices… if it can stain a white T-shirt, it can stain in your temporaries. I’d like you to brush and floss after every meal. It’s really important to keep those gums as healthy as you can. And then, refrain from biting your nails, pen tops, or using your teeth to open any items. If your temporaries come off, don’t worry, it’s uncommon. But if it happens, please call our office immediately at the number provided in your take-home bag. We’re here to help you every step of the way to ensure your smile is perfect. Thanks for trusting Dentistry at East Piedmont with your dental care. If you have any questions or concerns,  please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.