Dentistry — Discharge Advice after Dental Implant Placement
A dental implant surgeon writes a discharge advice letter to a 51-year-old woman following single implant placement in the upper right premolar region. The intermediate case requires selecting the most important post-surgical instructions from a detailed clinical note and presenting them in clear patient language, including the healing timeline and when to be concerned.
Letter type
Discharge
Write to
Patient
Target length
190–210 words
The case notes
Patient: Mrs Annette Powell, 51 years old; non-smoker; well-controlled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c 52)
Procedure: Single implant placed upper right premolar region (site of extracted 14); submerged healing protocol; sutures placed; healing abutment to be placed at 12 weeks
Immediate post-surgical (24 hours): Bite on gauze if any oozing; apply ice to cheek 20 minutes on/20 minutes off for 6 hours; rest with head elevated; avoid strenuous activity for 48 hours
Oral hygiene: Do not disturb the surgical site for 24 hours; from day 2 gentle salt water rinses; from day 3 very gentle toothbrushing avoiding the surgical site; use the chlorhexidine gel provided on the site twice daily for 1 week
Diet: Soft diet for 2 weeks (soup, yoghurt, mashed foods, scrambled eggs); no chewing on the surgical side; no hot drinks or spicy food for 48 hours; no drinking through a straw
Swelling and discomfort: Swelling peaks at 48–72 hours and is normal; ibuprofen 400 mg and/or paracetamol 1 g for pain; do not take ibuprofen if it causes stomach upset — paracetamol alone is fine
Healing timeline: Implant integrates with jawbone over 10–12 weeks (osseointegration); next appointment at 12 weeks for healing abutment; no crown until approximately week 16
Warning signs: Increasing pain after day 3 (not improving), persistent bleeding, fever, or implant feeling loose — contact the clinic immediately
Task: Write a discharge advice letter to Mrs Powell explaining post-surgical care, what to expect during healing, and what to do if she has concerns.
Writing task
Write a discharge advice letter to Mrs Powell explaining post-surgical care, what to expect during healing, and what to do if she has concerns.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
-
Soft diet for 2 weeks and no chewing on the surgical side
Premature loading of an unosseointegrated implant is the most common cause of early implant failure. The patient must understand the diet restriction protects the implant, not just the wound.
-
Chlorhexidine gel on the site twice daily for 1 week, starting day 2 gentle salt rinses
Peri-implant infection in the first week is preventable with the correct antiseptic protocol. The patient must know the sequence — do not disturb day 1, rinses from day 2, gel from day 2.
-
The osseointegration timeline — 10–12 weeks to the next appointment, no crown until approximately week 16
Patients frequently expect crowns immediately. Disappointment at the 12-week appointment — another stage of treatment, not the crown — is reduced by setting the correct expectations at discharge.
Leave out
-
The diabetes management around the procedure
Well-controlled HbA1c 52 — the diabetes was managed pre-operatively and does not change the post-op instructions. One brief mention — 'your well-controlled diabetes does not affect the healing instructions below' — is enough.
-
The implant system used, fixture dimensions, and insertion torque
Clinical record data, not patient information. The patient needs to know what to do, not the implant specification.
Criterion in focus · Conciseness & Clarity
Post-implant discharge letters must be actionable for a patient who has just had surgery and may be managing pain. Long paragraphs of instructions are not read carefully in this state. The proficient approach is to organise by time horizon: what to do today, what to do this week, what to expect over the next 12 weeks. Each instruction is one action, one sentence.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 190–210 words discharge letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.