Post-surgical care
trauma
Immediately following the procedure, an ice pack was recommended to the patient, and post-operative instructions were given (both written and verbal). A standardized nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (Diclofenac potassium 50 mg) was prescribed. They were instructed to take the medicine only if required, maximum two times a day for five days. Patients in the test group were instructed to wear the soft tissue guard appliance lined by HA for the first week to cover the exposed wound site and to keep the HA gel in close contact with the tissues for longer time. They were advised to remove the tissue guard appliance only before eating and consume only soft food during the first week to avoid any mechanical trauma. Patients were instructed to brush their teeth carefully with soft brush away from the wound site. As well as brushing the inner surface of the guard to clean it before gel re-application. No mouth wash was prescribed to avoid confounding variable and to exclude any external factor that can affect the healing. Patients were recalled after 3, 7 and 14 days for post-operative follow-up and for PBMT and HA re-application, then at day 21 for final assessment.