Arestin post op instructions template for dental practices

Arestin post op instructions come down to three rules. Do not brush the treated site for 12 hours. Do not floss or use interdental cleaners there for 10 days. Avoid hard, sticky, crunchy and chewy foods for a week.

Arestin is minocycline hydrochloride, placed as 1 mg microspheres into periodontal pockets after scaling and root planing. The microspheres keep releasing antibiotic for about three weeks, and mechanical disturbance in the first 10 days is what undoes them.

The template below turns those rules into a one-page handout your practice can print, email, or send through a patient portal. It also documents what the patient was told, which is the part a paper sheet handed over in the operatory never does.

Key takeaways

Do not brush the treated area for 12 hours after placement.

Avoid flossing and all interdental cleaning at the site for a full 10 days.

Skip hard, sticky, crunchy and chewy foods for one week, because chewing force reaches the treated pocket.

Mild sensitivity and soreness are expected, but severe pain, swelling or allergic signs need a same-day call.

Send the handout through your digital forms and book the re-evaluation four to six weeks out.

What is Arestin, and how does it work?

Arestin (minocycline hydrochloride) is an antibiotic placed directly into periodontal pockets after scaling and root planing. It comes as 1 mg microspheres that release slowly over about three weeks, targeting the bacteria behind gum disease. Your dentist or hygienist packs them subgingivally, deep inside the pocket, where they dissolve and release minocycline.

Because the antibiotic works locally, none of it has to travel through the bloodstream to reach the infection. That also means the dose is only as good as the pocket it sits in. Brushing, flossing, or biting into something hard at the site can move the microspheres and cut the effect.

The first 12 hours

The first 12 hours after placement decide how much of the dose stays in the pocket. The microspheres are still settling and starting to release minocycline, so they are easiest to displace right now.

• Do not eat or drink for at least 2 hours after treatment, so the site can stabilize.
• Do not touch or probe the treated area with your tongue, fingers, or any object.
• Do not rinse your mouth or spit forcefully. Let saliva flow naturally.
• Do not brush the treated area for a full 12 hours.
• Avoid strenuous exercise or heavy lifting for the remainder of the day.
• Sleep with your head elevated if swelling develops overnight.

For swelling or moderate discomfort, apply an ice pack for 15 minutes at a time, with 15-minute breaks. Over-the-counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen will manage most of the pain. Avoid aspirin, which can increase bleeding.

Oral hygiene restrictions after treatment

Keep cleaning the rest of your mouth on your normal schedule. The restriction applies to the treated site only, and it is tighter than patients expect.

• No brushing of the treated area for 12 hours after placement.
• No flossing or interdental cleaning at the site for 10 days. That includes toothpicks, water flossers, and interdental brushes.
• Brush the rest of your mouth gently as normal, keeping the bristles clear of the treated site.
• After 12 hours you may brush again, but stay off the treated area for the full 10 days.
• After 10 days, resume normal brushing and flossing as your dentist advises.

Why does the 10-day window matter so much? The microspheres release minocycline over roughly three weeks, and the first 10 days are when they are easiest to dislodge. A floss pass, a wooden pick, or a water flosser jet at the site can clear them out in one movement.

Diet and food restrictions

What you eat in the first week decides how long the microspheres stay where they were placed.

• Avoid hard foods such as nuts, seeds, hard candy, popcorn, and ice for one week.
• Avoid sticky foods such as caramel, taffy, gum, and dried fruit for one week.
• Avoid crunchy foods such as crackers, raw vegetables, apples, and carrots for one week.
• Avoid chewy foods such as steak, bread crusts, and bagels for one week.
• Stick to soft foods such as soup, yogurt, smoothies, mashed potato, eggs, soft cheese, oatmeal, pasta, and fish.
• Avoid very hot food and drink for the first 24 hours, which prevents irritation at the site.
• Avoid alcohol and alcohol-based mouthwash for the 7 to 10 days the restrictions run.

Chewing force and hot liquids both reach the treated pocket. One week of cool, soft food protects a dose that keeps working for three.

The restriction timeline at a glance

Print this grid alongside the handout. It is the version patients check at the kitchen table on day four, when the instruction sheet has already gone missing.

Medications and antibiotic precautions

Arestin releases minocycline, a tetracycline-class antibiotic. A few interactions and cautions apply while it is working.

• Tell your dentist what you take, especially other antibiotics and blood thinners.
• Separate dairy, antacids, and iron supplements from any oral antibiotic by at least 2 hours, since they reduce absorption.
• Do not take other tetracycline-class antibiotics alongside Arestin unless your dentist advises it.
• Avoid alcohol-based mouthwash during treatment. Use a non-alcohol rinse or salt water after the first 12 hours.
• Tell your dentist if you are pregnant or nursing. Minocycline may not be appropriate.
• Watch for sun sensitivity. Minocycline raises skin sensitivity to sunlight, so wear sunscreen outdoors.

Sun sensitivity and the dairy timing rule are the two patients forget by day two. Scheduling automated post-care instructions for the days after placement puts both in front of them again.

Side effects to expect

Most patients get through the 10 days with nothing worse than a tender gum. The two lists below separate what is expected from what needs a call.

Common, expected side effects

• Tooth sensitivity to temperature or pressure, usually mild and temporary.
• Localized discomfort or soreness around the treated area.
• Minor swelling of the gum or face in the first 24 to 48 hours.
• Slight bleeding when brushing nearby areas.

These usually settle within 7 to 10 days as the gum heals. Over-the-counter pain relief and an ice pack cover most of it.

Red flags that need same-day attention

• Severe pain that does not improve with over-the-counter medication.
• Excessive swelling of the gum, cheek, or throat.
• Signs of an allergic reaction such as itching, hives, difficulty breathing, or throat tightness.
• Fever above 101°F (38.3°C) lasting more than 24 hours.
• Pus or discharge from the treated area.
• Tooth discoloration or any unusual change at the site.
• Persistent bleeding that does not stop after gentle pressure.

Serious reactions are rare, but each of these warrants professional attention the same day.

Other reasons to call the office

Not every call is an emergency. During the 10-day window, the office would rather hear about the following than not.

• You think you disturbed the treated area while brushing or eating.
• You are unsure whether a product counts as interdental cleaning.
• Swelling is still increasing after 48 hours.
• Another provider prescribes you a new medication during treatment.
• You cannot manage the soft-food restriction and want alternatives.

The follow-up appointment

The re-evaluation is what turns the treatment into a result you can show the patient.

• Timing: usually 4 to 6 weeks after placement, which allows the full release period plus healing.
• Pocket depth: the treated pocket is re-probed to see whether the depth has reduced.
• Visual assessment: the site is checked for swelling, tissue color, and overall healing.
• Next steps: the reading decides whether more scaling and root planing follows, or a maintenance interval is set.
• Home care: the hygienist reviews technique at the site so the same pocket does not reopen.

Record the new probing depths on the same periodontal charting form used at the initial exam. One sheet carrying both readings makes the result obvious to the patient.

How to use this handout in your practice

The handout is built to be customized, printed, and sent. Keep it wherever your practice already stores its digital patient intake forms, so nobody is working from an old print run.

1. Download the PDF. Save it to your practice management system or shared drive.
2. Add your practice details. Put your name, phone number, and after-hours contact at the top of the sheet.
3. Print a copy for the operatory. Hand it over before the patient stands up, while the instructions still connect to what just happened.
4. Send a digital copy too. Paper gets lost. A version the patient can reopen on their phone survives to day four.
5. Attach it to the post-op reminder. The day-three message is where the flossing rule gets repeated.
6. Brief the whole team. Front desk and hygienists should answer the water flosser question the same way.
7. Record the handoff. Note in the chart that the patient received and reviewed the instructions.

The same layout carries over to your other post-op sheets. If your practice also does extractions, the wisdom teeth removal aftercare template follows the same structure, so patients recognize the format.

How Pabau delivers aftercare instructions and records them

In most practices the handout leaves the operatory as paper. The hygienist prints it, the patient folds it into a bag, and the chart carries no note of which version they got. When a call comes in on day four asking whether a water flosser counts, nobody can check what was handed over.

Practice management software like Pabau sends the same document as a digital form once the appointment is marked complete. The patient opens it on their phone, and their acknowledgment is written back to the record with a timestamp. Your front desk stops photocopying, and the chart stops relying on memory.

Follow-up then runs on its own schedule. A day-three message repeats the flossing rule, and a week-three message asks the patient to book the re-evaluation. By the time they sit down for it, the pocket readings and the aftercare record are already in the same file.

Send aftercare instructions and log every acknowledgment

Pabau sends your Arestin handout as a digital form, records the patient’s acknowledgment against their chart, and schedules the re-evaluation reminder. Your hygienists stop printing and chasing.

Book a demo

Conclusion

The 10-day flossing restriction is the instruction patients break, and it decides whether the minocycline stays where your hygienist put it. Say it twice: once in the chair, and once in writing they can reopen at home.

A printed sheet satisfies the record. It rarely survives to day four, which is exactly when the questions arrive. A handout the patient can pull up on a phone, backed by a logged acknowledgment, holds up better on both counts.

Customize the template with your practice name and after-hours number before the next Arestin case goes on the schedule. Book a demo to see how Pabau sends aftercare instructions, records who opened them, and books the re-evaluation without a phone call.

Continue your research

Building out the rest of your dental document set? Dental new patient form covers the intake side of the same patient file.

Treating the gum surgically as well? Gum contouring recovery sets out aftercare for a very different healing curve.

Documenting consent before treatment? Dental treatment consent form records what the patient agreed to before the microspheres go in.

Charting which tooth was treated? Tooth charts give your team one numbering reference for the notes.

Frequently asked questions