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Please Review Carefully Before Your Appointment

Eating and Drinking before treatment:
To avoid vomiting and complications during treatment, DO NOT allow your child any food or drink (even water) after midnight prior to the day of the appointment.

Change in Health:

Any development of illness, especially cold or fever within 7 days prior to the treatment day should be consulted with us as soon as possible. For the child’s safety most likely an appointment will be made for another day.

Arriving:

You will be scheduled to arrive one hour before the treatment time. The sedation will be given in our office after careful assessment of your child. Your child will then wait 1 hour for the medications to work before treatment. If you arrive late, there might not be adequate time for the appointment and you might have to be rescheduled. A responsible adult must be present in the waiting area at all times during the sedation appointment.

Monitoring:

After sedation has been given, your child will wait in the waiting room until he or she is ready for treatment in one hour. At that time, a responsible adult must continuously check the child’s alertness, responsiveness, breathing, and skin color. Notify the doctor or staff member if you notice any changes.

Medications:

Give your child only those medications that he or she takes routinely, such as seizure medications, prophylactic antibiotic, and those prescribed by your child’s physician. DO NOT give your child any other medicines, before or after treatment, without checking with this office.

Activities:

DO NOT plan activities for the child after treatment. Allow the child to rest. Closely supervise any activity for the remainder of the day.

Getting Home:

The patient must be accompanied by a responsible adult. The child should be closely watched for signs of breathing difficulty and carefully secured in the car seat or seat belt during transportation.

Eating and Drinking after treatment:
After treatment, the first drink should be plain water. Sweet drinks can be given next (clear fruit juice or Gatorade). Small drinks taken repeatedly are preferable to taking large amounts. Soft food, not too hot, may be taken when desired.

Numbness of Cheeks, Lips, and Tongue:
Your child’s cheeks, lips, and tongue may be numb after treatment. Please watch your child carefully for several hours to make sure he or she does not bite the cheeks, lips or tongue.

Temperature Elevation: The child’s temperature may be elevated to 101°F (38°C) for the first 24 hours after treatment. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) every 3-4 hours and fluids will help alleviate this condition. Should your child’s temperature rise above 101°F (38°C), please call our office.

SEEK ADVICE AND CALL OUR OFFICE OR THE PEDIATRICIAN I:

1. If vomiting lasts longer than 4 hours.
2. If the temperature remains elevated longer than 24 hours.
3. If there is any difficulty breathing.
4. If any other matter causes you concern.:

PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING NUMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS RELATING TO YOUR CHILD’S TREATMENT: 713-461-150.

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Herpes Stomatitis is a common childhood viral infection. Your child, although uncomfortable for about 1 week, will heal without any need for antibiotics or other medications. This sheet is designed to treat the symptoms and to help your child feel better.
The most important thing is to keep your child well hydrated with lots of fluids. Some examples of good drinks are Gatorate, Pediasure, or Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Buy over the counter Benadryl liquid and Maalox liquid. Mix one teaspoon of Benadryl with one teaspoon of Maalox and have your child swoosh and then swallow mixture every 6 hours.

Tylenol or Motrin will provide relief for pain and fever. Take 1 teaspoon every 6 hours.

Please remember that your child may feel irritable for 10-14 days while the virus runs its course. However it should be easier for your child to eat and drink after 3-5 days.

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When gauze becomes soggy, replace it with another and apply pressure by biting on it for 30 minutes. Slight oozing and staining of saliva is normal and can be expected for as long as 2-3 days. Moderate bleeding may be controlled by biting tightly on a tea bag that has been wrapped in gauze and moistened slightly with water. If HEAVY bleeding continues, please call our office. Your child’s lip, cheek, and tongue will be numb or “asleep” for about 2-3 hours. During this time make sure your child does not bite, scratch, or pick at these numb areas. After 24 hours, rinse very gently with warm salt water after meals (1/2 teaspoon per cup). Brushing and flossing should be resumed within 24 hours. Restrict diet to liquids (milkshake or smoothie) for the first 3 hours, and then eat soft foods for the rest of the day such as soup, yogurt, Carnation Instant Breakfast, eggs, jello etc. Child should chew on the opposite side of the filling for the first 24 hours. Plain Tylenol or Motrin may be taken every 4 hours as needed for pain. Apply ice packs to face to reduce post operative swelling for the first 3 days. Ice packs should be placed on 15 minutes, off 15 minutes, for 1hour, 3 times a day. With proper home care, complications seldom occur. Call our office if you have any problems.

How To Care For A Chewed Lip, Cheek Or Tongue

Apply ice packs for first 3 days. Ice packs should be placed for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, for 1 our, 3 times a day. Clean the wound are with a product such as Glyoxide or Peroxyl 4-5 minutes a day for 3 days. After cleaning the area apply Orabase with benzocaine ointment. Give your child Tylenol or Motrin for pain. All of these products are available over the counter at your drug store. Call us in if the would is not healing in 5-7 days or if it seems infected.

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Post-Op Instructions For White Or Silver Fillings

Your child’s lip, cheek, and tongue will be numb or “asleep” for about 2-3 hours. During this time make sure your child does not bite, scratch, or pick at these numb areas. Restrict diet to liquids (milkshake or smoothie) for the first 3 hours, and then eat soft foods for the rest of the day such as soup, yogurt, Carnation Instant Breakfast, eggs, jello etc. Child should chew on the opposite side of the filling for the first 24 hours. Gentle cleaning should be done for the first 2 days with a soft toothbrush or washcloth.

Give Tylenol or Motrin in case of any discomfort. If your child complains of discomfort on biting after a few days, please come in to the office for adjustments to the height of the filling, which is a short procedure. Your child should heal normally if you follow these instructions. Please feel free to call our office if you have any questions.

How To Care For A Chewed Lip, Cheek Or Tongue

Apply ice packs for first 3 days. Ice packs should be placed for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, for 1 our, 3 times a day. Clean the wound are with a product such as Glyoxide or Peroxyl 4-5 minutes a day for 3 days. After cleaning the area apply Orabase with benzocaine ointment. Give your child Tylenol or Motrin for pain. All of these products are available over the counter at your drug store.

Call us in if the would is not healing in 5-7 days or if it seems infected.

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Save a Permanent Tooth

Certain trauma from falling, accidents or hits by flying objects especially while playing sports, can cause a permanent tooth to be completely “knocked out” or AVULSED.

If it happens, in many cases, the tooth can be saved by quick, careful action. The most important thing to know is that quick replacing the tooth back into its place or SOCKET is crucial to the success of that tooth. If the tooth is replaced within the first HALF HOUR it has good chances of survival. You may want to buy at a drug store a “Save a Tooth” kit, which contains solutions and instructions to prolog lifetime of an avulsed tooth. Please read these instructions ahead of time so you will be ready in case of an emergency. Keep this kit in your child’s bag. To save the tooth, immediately follow these important steps at the site of injury:

If the tooth appears dirty, plug sink, rinse the tooth GENTLY under tap water. DO NOT SCRUB, TOUCH THE ROOT, OR PUT SOAP ON THE TOOTH! Have your child rinse his or her mouth with warm water only. If possible, immediately insert the tooth back into the socket, position like the tooth next to it as best as you can and hold the tooth in position with finger pressure or by biting firmly on cotton gauze.

If you cannot insert the tooth, place it in a container filled with your child’s spit or in milk. If you have a “Save a Tooth” kit, place the tooth in it.

Take the tooth and go IMMEDIATELY to your dentist or hospital emergency room. Call when you are on the way, but do not waste time calling before going.

Within 48 hours call your child’s physician to make sure your child is up to date with tetanus vaccinations.

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Post-Op Instructions For Stainless Steel Crowns

Your child’s lip, cheek and tongue will be numb or “asleep” for about 2-3 hours. During this time, make sure your child does not bite, scratch, or pick at these numb areas.

Restrict diet to liquids (milkshake or smoothie) for the first 3 hours, and then eat soft foods for the rest of the day such as soup, yogurt, Carnation Instant Breakfast, eggs, jello etc. Child should chew on the opposite side of the filling for the first 24 hours. Gums may bleed for 2-3 days. Gentle cleaning should be done for the first 2 days with a soft toothbrush or washcloth. All other areas should be cleaned as usual. To speed healing, use warm saltwater rinses after meals and before bedtime, then apply Glyoxide 3-4 times daily.

NEVER permit your child to have Now or Laters, Jolly Ranchers or fruit roll-ups and other hard or sticky candy. These can pull the crown off the tooth. Call us immediately if the crown does come off, so that Dr. Lindhorst can replace it or re-cement the old one. If you chose a white crown, sometimes the white part can come off. If so happens, the crown is still most likely intact and functional. You can come to the office to get it replaced, but if it is not in the esthetically bothersome area, you may elect to wait for the next checkup.

Your child should heal normally if you follow these instructions. Please feel free to call our office if you have any questions.

How To Care For A Chewed Lip, Cheek Or Tongue

Apply ice packs for first 3 days. Ice packs should be placed for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, for 1 our, 3 times a day. Clean the wound are with a product such as Glyoxide or Peroxyl 4-5 minutes a day for 3 days.

After cleaning the area apply Orabase with benzocaine ointment. Give your child Tylenol or Motrin for pain. All of these products are available over the counter at your drug store.

Call us in if the would is not healing in 5-7 days or if it seems infected.

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Tongue blade instructions

If your child has what we call “single tooth crossbite” or one single top front tooth out of line behind the bottom front tooth we might have recommended the treatment with a single tongue blade. Following are the instructions of how to use it to correct the problem:

Bite in the direction necessary. Bite for total of 1 hour each day. Bite 20 seconds, rest, bite 20 seconds, rest etc Bite for at least 5 minutes at each sitting. Bite for 2 weeks.

Return to our office for a checkup to see if you are on the right track!!!

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Post Operative Bonding Instructions

Bonding of front teeth is a fragile procedure that sometimes must be redone to repair fractures and staining. Within the first 6 months we will repair all the fracture at no charge. Permanent veneer or crown will be the final solution once the bite stabilizes in the late teenage years. We will refer you to a cosmetic dentist to perform that procedure when the time comes.

Proper home care can help increase longevity of the restoration.

To prevent possibility of a fracture, please avoid biting into these types of things with your bonded teeth: hard candy, apples, carrots, hard bread, ribs and other meat with bones, pizza crust, corn on the cob, ice, fingernails, hair pins etc.-the force can crack the bonding.

To prevent staining, avoid or keep to a minimum foods and drinks such as: chocolates, coffee, tea, colas, grape juice, blueberries, cherries, tobacco, etc. Home fluoride gels have flavoring added, but do not have any coloring added and CAN be used with bonded teeth.

Please remember to brush your teeth soon after eating or drinking anything that might stain your front teeth.

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Frenectomy Home Care

When gauze becomes soggy, replace it with another and apply pressure by biting on it for 30 minutes. Slight oozing and staining of saliva is normal and can be expected for as long as 2-3 days. Moderate bleeding may be controlled by biting tightly on a tea bag that has been wrapped in a gauze and moistened slightly with water. If HEAVY bleeding continues, call my office.

Your child’s lip and cheek will be “asleep” or “numb” for about 2-3 hours. During this time, make sure your child does not bite or irritate these areas by pinching, poking, or scratching.

Vigorous rinsing of the mouth should be avoided. After 48 hours, rinse very gently with warm salt water after meals (1/2 teaspoon per cup). Brushing and flossing should be resumed after 24 hours. Gly-oxide may be applied to sutured area after meals and at bedtime.

Restrict diet to fluids (milkshake) for the first 4 hours, then soft foods may be eaten during the rest of the day such as soups, yogurt, Carnation Instant Breakfast, eggs, jello etc. Avoid carbonated drinks and drinking through a straw for 72 hours./p>

Apply ice packs to lip area for first 24 hours to reduce any possible swelling. Apply 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off for 1 hour, 3 times a day.

Plain Tylenol or Motrin may be taken every 4-6 hours as needed for pain. If these medications do not alleviate patient’s discomfort, please call our office and I will prescribe a stronger pain medication.

With proper home care, complications seldom occur. I would like to see the patient in one week for an exam to check for any possible problems and to make sure that healing is occurring properly.

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NO-NO LIST FOR SPACE MAINTAINERS AND APPLIANCES, CROWNS AND SEALANTS

Things you cannot eat or chew!!!

ICE: It will break your space maintainer or appliance.

HARD PIZZA CRUST: It may bend the wire of your appliance.

HARD PRETZELS: It may bend wires or loosen bands.

HARD CHIPS: May form a hard ball and break the appliance.

GUM (ANY KIND): It will loosen bands and pull off the cement.

STICKY CANDY: It will loosen bands and pull off the cement.

(for ex: Carmel, Starbursts, Tootsie Rolls)

HARD CANDY: It will break wires and bands and pull of appliance.

(for ex: Peppermints, Jolly Ranchers, Suckers)

BEEF JERKY, SLIM JIMS: These are touch and can damage the appliance.

PENS AND PENCILS: Not good to chew any time!

RAW CARROTS: These are hard and can bend wires.

Eating these foods will loosen and possibly break bands of appliances, but you many not discover the problem until hours or days later. At this point the appliance might have already stopped working and bands and wires might have been in vulnerable position to get bent or broken.

Please share this information with other relatives and caregivers to ensure the patient follows these guidelines.