Post-Operative Instructions Following the Extraction of Teeth

1. All CHILDREN and adults must be warned not to bite numb areas on lips, tongue, and cheeks . Avoid eating, chewing, or napping until anesthesia wears off.
   
   
2. Bite tightly on the gauze for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check for bleeding. If there is no bleeding you can leave the gauze out. If there is continued bleeding, replace the gauze and repeat the above procedure. A tea bag may also be used. Be careful not to swallow the gauze or tea bag.
   
   
3. Do not smoke or use tobacco for 48 hours. This will decrease the rate of healing and will contribute to the likelihood of developing “dry sockets”.
   
   
4. It is beneficial to place ice packs on the sides of your face. Apply for 20 minutes and then leave them off for 20 minutes. This can be repeated for the first 24 hours, as it is during this period when any swelling will reach its peak. DO NOT USE ANY ICE AFTER 24 HOURS.
   
   
5. Discomfort may follow as anesthesia wears off. Take pain medication as prescribed before anesthesia wears off. Before taking the pain pills prescribed for you, try to take a few sips of milk, bread, milkshake, etc., so that the pill will not be taken on a completely empty stomach. Also, do not use any alcoholic beverages, operate a motor vehicle, or perform tasks that require you to be fully alert. Reduce strenuous activity for 24 hours or longer.
   
   
6. You must not do any rinsing, forceful spitting, drinking through a straw, or drink carbonated drinks for the first 24 hours following the surgery in order to help maintain the blood clot within the tooth socket.
   
   
7. Gently rinse with warm saltwater the day after surgery & do it after every time you eat for two to three days (½ teaspoon salt to 8 oz glass of warm water)
   
   
8. Brush teeth twice a day. Also brush tongue, as the top surface may collect old blood or debris, but avoid brushing the healing tissue directly. Clean tissues heal with fewer problems. Post-Operative infections occasionally occur since these areas drain poorly and trap food easily.
   
   
9. Limit intake to cold or lukewarm liquids and soft foods the day of surgery. Return to your regular diet as soon as it is comfortable for you to do so.
   
   
10. “Dry Socket” is a complication, which results from loss of the blood clot within the tooth socket and occurs in about 5% of cases. It presents as dull, aching discomfort usually about 3 days after surgery and often leaves a bad taste. If you suspect dry socket, please contact our office as it can be treated very easily by replacing the lost blood clot with a medicated ointment
    
    
11. If sutures were placed in your mouth, they will dissolve on their own in 7 – 10 days and do not require removal.
    
    
12. In a small percentage of cases, prolonged numbness or altered sensation of an area about the mouth may be present following the operation. This is due to a swelling of the nerve supplying the area. Normal feeling usually returns in two weeks to six months. Occasionally it takes longer.
    
    
13. If excessive pain, excessive bleeding, or swelling occurs after the area has apparently healed or should any condition arise that appears unusual, return to our office at once for an examination or call our office.
    
    
14. Birth Control Pills may be less effective when taking antibiotics and/or pain medication. Alternative forms of birth control measures are necessary.
    
    
15. If experiencing any problems, please make an appointment for 7 days after surgery for a post-operative exam.