October 2019

How To Prevent Oral Cancer

Venture Creative on October 19, 2019

Oral cancer is cancer of the mouth or throat, it is also more commonly seen in men than women. Sometimes cancer can be unavoidable, with most that is the case. Some have cancer in their genetics and some are just plain unlucky. When it comes to oral health, there are a few things you can do to prevent it. Below are nine tips to protect yourself to the best of your ability.

Eat Cancer-Fighting Foods- Eat as many “cancer-fighting” foods as possible such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, turmeric, yogurt, kale, and mushrooms.
Alcohol- Only consume alcohol in moderation, try to limit yourself to one drink per day.
Use SPF lip balm- If you spend time outside, protecting your lips should be a priority! There are lots of options for chapstick with SPF in them, even fragrance-free for men.
Cut all Tobacco- Smoking or chewing tobacco increases your chance of oral cancer by more than a third.
Oral Hygiene- Make sure you are brushing and flossing your teeth daily.
Safe Sex- It is important to be extremely safe and cautious if you are sexually active.
HPV Vaccinated- HPV is associated with cancers at the back of the mouth. HPV can be contracted from one single encounter.
Check Yourself- If you feel anything out of the ordinary, make sure to contact an oral surgeon as soon as possible. You can also take a small mirror and look inside your own mouth to check if there are any unusual colors.
Dentist- Every 6 months make sure that you go visit your dentist. They normally do an oral cancer screening with your exam.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call the Oral and Facial Surgery Institute at (435) 628-1100.

Sedation & Wisdom Teeth Surgery: What You Need To Know

Venture Creative on October 12, 2019

The thought of sedation or surgery can be intimidating for some people. Here at the Oral and Facial Surgery Institute, we can assure you that there is nothing to worry about, as you will never be left with any unanswered questions regarding sedation or your wisdom teeth removal. Here are some sedation tips to ease your fears.

PRE-SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS

There is nothing worse than going into surgery not knowing what you need to do to prepare for it. When you schedule at our office, you will be given sedation instructions twice. Once when scheduling your appointment, and the second time at your confirmation call. Here is how to prepare:

Nothing to eat or drink for eight hours prior to surgery.
Must have a responsible driver to drive you home after surgery.
Remove any nail polish on the first two fingers on each hand.
Take any daily medications with a tiny sip of water in the morning.
If on a blood thinner please notify us prior to your appointment (it may affect scheduling).
If you were sent with a blue referral card, bring that with you.
Payment is due at the time of service.
We do offer our paperwork online, feel free to fill it out beforehand or come in five minutes early to fill it out in office.

POST SURGERY INSTRUCTIONS

Don’t panic if you have never taken care of someone or yourself after sedation. We will make sure that you or your driver fully understand our at-home care instructions. And don’t forget, we are just one call away if you have any other care questions.

When you leave our office, you will be biting down on gauze. You will also be sent home with extra in a baggie. Change the gauze as needed every 20-30 minutes until it is a light pink color. That indicates there is mostly saliva and that the bleeding is slowing down.
You will be sent home with an irrigating syringe to be started on the third day after surgery. Make sure you stick the entire tip into the site to flush out all of the food. If not, it can lead to swelling and infections. Continue this until the holes are entirely healed.
Rinse with Peridex mouth rinse in the morning and evenings.
Take the antibiotic prescribed to prevent infections.
Eat soft foods for a few days such as yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, or soups (anything that is soft enough to mush with a fork).
Avoid straw use for three days.
Use ice packs on and off for 20 minutes at a time to help with swelling.

Healing

You will want to get as much rest as possible post-procedure. Most people are feeling back to normal in 3-7 days as long as the above rules are followed.

If you have an active lifestyle, you will want to rest for at least three days. After which you can resume normal activity as long as you are feeling up to it.

How To Take Care Of Your Dental Implants

Venture Creative on October 4, 2019

We all know that losing a tooth can be a little frightening. Luckily with today’s technology, a dental implant is the closest thing to a natural tooth. Just like with any surgery there can be complications or in this case “failed” implants. Taking proper care of your implants post-surgery is essential for proper healing.

Soft Foods

Following surgery, you will want to avoid chewing on the side of the mouth that the implant is on. If you happen to have multiple implants in different areas of the mouth, you will want to stick to a soft diet for a minimum of two weeks.

Foods such as yogurt, smoothies, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, and most pastas are good options for post-operative care.

Micromovement is critical to avoid during the healing process. It can be caused by a variety of things such as chewing directly on the implant and aggressive brushing.

Good Oral Hygiene

Contamination and bacteria can cause your implant to fail. Keeping it clean is very important. Right after implant placement, your surgeon will prescribe you with an oral rinse that has antibacterial properties. You will want to clean it twice a day by dipping a q-tip into the oral rinse and cleaning around the implant and gums.

Once you get the okay from your doctor, you can start lightly brushing the implant with your toothbrush. You will want to wait a couple of weeks to do so due to tenderness.

Take an Antibiotic

While infection risk is low if the implants are properly taken care of, taking an antibiotic after surgery will help further prevent any type of infection.

Please recognize that antibiotics can interfere with other types of medications. Ask Dr. Davis if you have any questions on conflicting medications.

Limit Physical Activity

You will want to limit your physical activity for the first few days to avoid any type of bleeding or throbbing.

Dental implants are a phenomenal choice for tooth restoration. Consider implants the same thing as your natural tooth, they require the same amount of brushing and flossing as well as regular check-ups.

Call us at the Oral and Facial Surgery Institute to schedule your consultation to see if you would be a good candidate for dental implants! (435) 220-3101