Dr. Gopika Sukumaran provides post-operative instructions for patients after various dental treatments. After deep scaling, patients may experience discomfort, tooth sensitivity, bleeding, and appearance changes as the gums heal over the next few days. Following scaling and root planing, patients should not smoke, apply ice, rinse with salt water, and see their dentist for a follow up cleaning in 6 weeks. For fillings, patients should avoid hard foods and be careful not to bite their lip or tongue if numb. After extractions, patients should bite on gauze, avoid rinsing or sucking for 24 hours, and then begin gentle rinsing and a soft diet.