Post-Operative Patient Care

The routine, post-operative care of patients is performed by you in your office.  This usually involves a five-to-ten minute patient appointment where you provide the patient with an irrigation syringe (Monoject #412) and irrigation instructions.  You will also examine the surgical sites for adequate healing and provide reassurance that everything is healing well; or, if not, refer them back to me.

Either my assistant or I will personally contact each patient the evening of their procedure or the next day to find out how they are doing.

Usually, I use resorbable (gut/chromic) sutures so that suture removal is not necessary.  Dry sockets do occur and can usually be treated with one or two extra post-op visits.  If you are not comfortable treating or diagnosing dry sockets, I can help you understand them.  Rest assured, I take great responsibility in the post-operative care of the patient, and if either you or the patient has questions about either routine or non-routine post-operative care, I always make myself available to either talk to or see the patient.  The patients are also given my telephone number, and if they have any problems, they can always email me at heath@snelldds.com.

Following treatment, we send each patient a questionnaire in the form of a "Comment Card,” along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope for returning it to our office.  The purpose of these reply forms is for us to get feedback regarding the treatment we provided your patient.  If you would like to have a sample card sent to you, please let us know.