Patient Care

What to expect after treatment, answers to the questions patients ask most, and clear guidance on when to pick up the phone.

When to Get Urgent Help

Most healing after periodontal or implant surgery is uneventful. Contact the practice straight away if any of the following happen:

Bleeding that does not settle after 20–30 minutes of firm, continuous pressure on the site
Pain that gets steadily worse after the third day, rather than easing
Swelling that increases after day three, or spreads towards your eye, neck or the floor of your mouth
A temperature, chills, or feeling generally unwell
Pus, a persistent bad taste, or a foul smell from the surgical site
Numbness in your lip, chin or tongue that has not started to wear off as expected
An implant, healing cap or temporary crown that feels loose or falls out

Go to your nearest emergency department, or call 112 or 999, if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling that is closing your airway or spreading rapidly, or heavy bleeding that will not stop. Do not wait for a call back.

The First 48 Hours

The first two days set up the rest of your healing. These four things matter more than anything else you do.

01 — Bleeding

Apply Steady Pressure

Light oozing for the first day is normal. Bite firmly on clean, damp gauze for 20 minutes without checking it. Keep your head raised, and avoid rinsing, spitting or using a straw for the first 24 hours — suction dislodges the clot that healing depends on.

02 — Swelling

Ice Early, Rest Often

Hold a cold pack against your cheek for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, during the first day. Swelling usually peaks around day two or three and then settles. Bruising on the cheek or chin is common and fades over a week or so.

03 — Pain

Stay Ahead of It

Discomfort is usually at its worst in the first 48 hours. Take the pain relief you have been advised to take, on schedule rather than waiting for pain to build. Avoid aspirin unless it is prescribed for you, as it can increase bleeding.

04 — Protect

Leave the Site Alone

Do not poke the area with your tongue, finger or a toothbrush. Stick to soft, cool food, chew on the other side, and take it easy — no heavy lifting, gym or strenuous exercise for the first few days.

Aftercare by Treatment

Find the treatment you have had for guidance specific to it.

After Gum Surgery or Gum Grafting

This covers connective tissue grafting for recession, flap surgery and pocket elimination surgery.

Do not lift or pull your lip to inspect the area. It stretches the stitches and is the most common cause of a graft being disturbed.
Do not brush or floss the surgical site until you are told it is safe. Keep brushing the rest of your mouth as normal.
Use any prescribed antimicrobial mouthwash as directed, starting the day after surgery — let it sit and drop out rather than swishing hard.
If tissue was taken from the roof of your mouth, that donor site often feels more uncomfortable than the graft itself. It usually settles within one to two weeks. A protective plate or dressing may have been placed — leave it in place.
Stitches are usually removed after one to two weeks. If one comes loose early and is not causing problems, it is rarely urgent — let us know at your next contact.
Expect the treated gum to look pale, uneven or bulky at first. It takes several weeks to settle and several months to reach its final shape and colour.

After Dental Implant Placement

Avoid chewing anything hard on the implant site until you are told the implant is ready to be loaded.
If a healing abutment or cover screw is visible above the gum, that is intentional. Keep it clean and gently brush around it once you are advised to.
Some numbness from the anaesthetic is expected on the day. Numbness that persists well beyond that should be reported to us.
If you have a temporary crown or denture over the area, wear it only as instructed — pressure on a healing implant can affect how it integrates.
Smoking meaningfully increases the risk of an implant failing to integrate. Stopping, even just through the healing period, makes a real difference.
Implants integrate with the bone over roughly three months. Very little is happening that you can feel during this period, which is normal.

After Bone Grafting or a Sinus Lift

Grafted bone needs to be left completely undisturbed while it matures.

Feeling one or two small gritty particles in your mouth in the first days is normal and not a sign the graft has failed.
After a sinus lift, do not blow your nose for at least two weeks. Sneeze with your mouth open. Avoid straws, smoking, and playing wind instruments.
Avoid flying and scuba diving after a sinus lift until you have been cleared — pressure changes can disturb the graft.
Minor blood-tinged discharge from the nose on the treated side can occur after a sinus lift. Heavy or persistent nosebleeds should be reported.
If you wear a denture over the grafted area, do not wear it until we confirm it is safe. Pressure can expose the graft.
Bone grafts typically need around six months before implants can be placed.

After Non-Surgical Gum Treatment (Deep Cleaning)

Your gums may feel tender for a few days and your teeth may be sensitive to cold for a few weeks. A sensitive-teeth toothpaste usually helps.
Some bleeding when brushing in the first days is normal and should reduce steadily. Keep brushing — stopping makes it worse, not better.
As inflammation resolves, gums tighten and shrink slightly. Teeth can look a little longer and small gaps may appear between them. This means the swelling has gone down, not that treatment has caused damage.
Teeth may feel slightly loose at first as the gum swelling reduces. This usually improves as the tissues firm up.
You will be reviewed roughly six to eight weeks later to check how the gums have responded and decide whether anything further is needed.

After Crown Lengthening

The gum around the treated tooth will look higher and the tooth noticeably longer straight away. That is the intended result.
Tissues need time to stabilise before final restorative work — usually several weeks for a back tooth, and longer where appearance matters at the front.
If a temporary crown or filling has been placed, avoid chewing directly on it.
Sensitivity on the newly exposed part of the tooth is common and usually settles.

After Treatment for Periimplantitis

Keeping the implant scrupulously clean is the single biggest factor in whether treatment holds. You will be shown exactly how to clean around it.
Some gum recession around the implant after treatment is common, and the metal collar may become visible.
Regular maintenance reviews are essential — periimplantitis can return, and catching it early is far easier than treating it again.
Smoking is strongly linked to periimplantitis recurring.

Common Concerns

The questions patients ask us most often in the days after treatment.

How Much Pain Is Normal?

Discomfort typically peaks within the first 48 hours and then eases day by day. Taking pain relief on a regular schedule for the first two days works far better than waiting until it becomes uncomfortable.

Pain that is steadily increasing after day three — rather than settling — is the pattern that suggests a problem. Contact us if that happens.

What Can I Eat?

For the first few days: soft, cool or lukewarm food. Yoghurt, eggs, pasta, soup that has cooled, mashed potato, smoothies eaten with a spoon.
Avoid anything hard, crunchy, crumbly, spicy or very hot — nuts, crisps, seeds and crusty bread are the usual culprits.
Chew on the opposite side until the site is comfortable.
No straws for at least the first week. The suction can dislodge a clot or disturb a graft.
Avoid alcohol while you are taking pain relief and during early healing.

How Should I Clean My Teeth?

Keep brushing normally everywhere except the treated area. A clean mouth heals better, so the rest of your mouth should not be neglected.

Avoid the surgical site with your toothbrush until you are told otherwise — usually one to two weeks.
Use any prescribed mouthwash gently. Let it sit in your mouth and drop out rather than swishing or spitting forcefully.
For the first 24 hours after surgery, do not rinse at all.
Resume flossing and interdental brushes in the treated area only when advised.

I Smoke — Does It Really Matter?

Yes, more than almost any other factor you control. Smoking reduces blood supply to healing gum and bone. It measurably increases the risk of graft failure, implant failure, infection and gum disease returning.

If stopping altogether is not realistic, stopping for the healing period still improves your odds considerably. We are happy to talk this through without judgement — it genuinely changes what treatment can achieve for you.

When Can I Exercise Again?

Avoid the gym, running, heavy lifting and anything strenuous for the first three to four days. Raised blood pressure in the early healing period is a common cause of bleeding restarting. Gentle walking is fine from the outset. Build back gradually after that, and stop if the site starts to throb.

My Stitches Have Come Loose

A single loose or trailing stitch late in healing is usually not urgent. Do not pull or cut it yourself. Contact us and we will advise whether you need to be seen.

If several stitches come away in the first few days, or the wound edges open up, let us know promptly.

My Teeth Look Longer Since Treatment

This is expected after gum treatment and is a sign of improvement rather than harm. Swollen gum tissue sits higher up the tooth; once inflammation resolves, the gum tightens down to the level of the underlying bone, and more of the tooth shows.

Where this affects appearance at the front of the mouth, there are options — raise it at your review and we can discuss what is realistic.

Part of My Lip or Chin Still Feels Numb

Numbness from local anaesthetic wears off within a few hours. Some altered sensation for a short period after lower jaw surgery can occur as nerves recover from being near the surgical site.

Numbness, tingling or burning that persists beyond what you were told to expect should always be reported to us. Do not wait for your scheduled review.

How Long Until I See the Final Result?

Gum grafting: the shape settles over several weeks; colour and contour mature over three to six months.
Implants: around three months to integrate before the final crown, longer if grafting was needed.
Bone grafting: roughly six months before implant placement.
Non-surgical gum treatment: reviewed at six to eight weeks, when the tissue response can be properly assessed.

Early healing often looks worse than the end result. Judging the outcome in the first fortnight is rarely a fair assessment.

Long Term

Keeping Your Results

Periodontal treatment and implants are not one-off fixes. Both gum disease and periimplantitis can return, and the single biggest predictor of a long-lasting result is what happens after treatment finishes.

Patients who attend regular maintenance appointments keep their results substantially longer than those who do not. These visits catch early changes at the stage when they are simple to deal with.

Maintenance visits: Usually every three to six months, depending on your risk. This interval is set for a reason — it is not the same as a routine check-up.
Daily cleaning: Brushing twice daily plus cleaning between the teeth. Around implants, cleaning below the gumline matters most.
Not smoking: The strongest modifiable risk factor for both gum disease and implant failure.
Managing diabetes: Well-controlled blood sugar significantly improves gum healing and stability.
Report changes early: Bleeding, tenderness, a bad taste or a change in how things feel are worth a call, not a wait.

Still Not Sure About Something?

If something does not feel right, or you simply want to check whether what you are experiencing is normal, get in touch. We would far rather hear from you early than have you wait and worry.

Contact the Practice

This page is general guidance for patients of the practice. It does not replace the specific instructions given to you after your own treatment — where the two differ, follow the advice you were given directly.