Post-Surgery After Care Instructions

THE DAY OF SURGERY

1. Refrain from any strenuous activity or work, as this may affect your healing. Remain in a semi-reclined position for the remainder of the day with as little movement of the jaw as possible.
2. Continue eating well-balanced meals, but keep to softer foods for the first day. Keep away from hard foods (i.e. potato chips or peanuts) for about one week. Drink plenty of liquids; meal replacements such as Ensure or Boost are great options. This will speed up your healing.
3. If instructed, use cold packs. Use the cold packs for twenty minutes at a time, giving a twenty minute break between each use. Use cold packs for the first day only. This is to reduce swelling that may take place.
4. Take your medications as directed (a prescription medication may have been given to you).
5. Sterile gauze was given to you to bite on. Please keep this in place for half an hour after your appointment. The gauze will help control any bleeding that you may have. After this time is up, take the gauze out and check for bleeding. Some bleeding or oozing is normal, and is expected for the first few days. Your saliva may be slightly pink. Watch for any signs of heavy bleeding. If you remove the gauze and your mouth fills with blood in a few short minutes, bite down another piece of gauze. If after another hour the heavy bleeding is still present, bite on more gauze or a wet tea bag and call our office right away.
6. Avoid any sucking action of your mouth. Examples include using a straw, smoking, sucking on a piece of candy, etc. This will keep the blood clot undisturbed in the area where the tooth was removed.
7. Your dentist may have placed stitches (or sutures) in the area to help healing. Some stitches can dissolve on their own after several days; other stitches need to be removed by your dentist in the clinic. In either case, it is best to avoid pulling at the stitches so the area can heal properly. Please return to the clinic for your follow-up appointment if your dentist has instructed you to come back to have the stitches removed.

THE DAY AFTER SURGERY

1. Mix a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water to rinse the area if necessary. Gently rinse with the salt water several times each if you feel the need.
2. Start to eat a more regular diet, but still avoid eating crunchy foods. Continue to be gentle in the area.
3. If an intense, aching pain develops a few days after surgery, please notify our office. This may be the start of an infection that requires treatment.