Patient resources

• Bite firmly on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes to help a clot form.
• For the first 24 hours, don't rinse, spit forcefully or drink through a straw. Avoid smoking for at least two to three days.
• On the first day, hold a cold pack on your cheek, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off.
• Eat soft, cool foods and chew on the other side.
• From the next day, rinse gently with warm salt water (half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water) after meals.
• Call us if bleeding doesn't slow with pressure, swelling gets worse after the third day, pain increases after a few days, or you develop a fever.

• For the first few days, eat soft foods, chew on the other side and follow your rinse instructions. Avoid smoking, which slows healing.
• Once healed, brush twice a day with a soft brush and clean around the implant every day with floss, a small interdental brush or a water flosser, as we show you.
• Keep up your cleanings and check-ups. Tell us if the gum around your implant bleeds, swells or feels tender.

Bleeding when you brush or floss is usually a sign of inflammation from plaque along the gumline (gingivitis).

• Brush gently twice a day, angling the bristles toward the gumline.
• Floss or use interdental brushes every day, even if there's some bleeding at first. Bleeding from gingivitis often settles within one to two weeks.
• Book a visit if bleeding continues after two weeks, your gums are pulling back, teeth feel loose, or bad breath won't go away. More about gum treatment.

• Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appears, twice a day, with a soft children's toothbrush.
• Use a smear of fluoride toothpaste the size of a grain of rice under age 3, and a pea-sized amount from age 3 to 6.
• Help with brushing until your child can do it well on their own, usually around age 7 or 8.
• Offer water between meals, keep sweet foods to mealtimes, and don't put a baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice.

Common causes include gum recession, worn enamel, a cavity or crack, and recent whitening.

• Try a toothpaste for sensitive teeth for a few weeks, and brush gently with a soft brush.
• Cut back on acidic drinks such as pop, juice and sports drinks.
• Book a visit if one tooth is sensitive, the feeling lingers after hot or cold, or it hurts to bite.