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Numbness should fade within a few hours.
Mild tenderness, swelling, or bruising may occur.
Contact our office if numbness lasts beyond 48 hours.
If you feel nauseated from the medications, avoid milk and dairy and try to drink clear liquids in small quantities. Take pain medications only with food.
A mild fever is common and often due to dehydration. Stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of clear liquids.
After an extraction, it is crucial that a blood clot forms in the area where the tooth was extracted. Do not rinse, spit, or use a straw. Suction can dislodge the clot. Do not smoke for five days. Nicotine delays healing and causes dry socket. Avoid exercise or heavy lifting. Refrain from using alcohol in all mouth washes, especially those with hydrogen peroxide.
Swelling is normal. Use an ice pack for 15 minutes at a time as needed during the first 24 hours to control bleeding bite with light pressure on the gauze placed over the extraction site, changing it every 15 minutes until bleeding stops. Use damp gauze only – dry gauze may stick to the clot and pull it out. Place a towel over your pillow in case of any bleeding while sleeping. Some stitches placed are dissolvable on their own after a couple of days. If loose, you may gently remove them. If you had a bone graft, your stitches do not dissolve on your own. More information will be provided by your dental team on the type of stitches and what to do. Contact our office if you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, or swelling that lasts three to four days.
For the first 24 hours, we recommend a lot of clear liquids such as water, apple juice, or broth. If you continue to feel hungry, follow this with soft foods (such as ice cream, jello, pudding, malts)
After 24 hours, maintain a soft diet (such as soups, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soft chicken, and soft fish) for 2 to 3 days, and then gradually progress to solid foods. Avoid popcorn, nuts, seeds, and crunchy/tough/spicy foods for 7 days. If you are a diabetic, maintain your normal diet as much as possible and follow the doctor’s instructions regarding your insulin schedule.
Resume normal hygiene the day after surgery. Brush gently around the extraction site to avoid disturbing the blood clot. Electric toothbrushes can be used as usual.
Take pain medications as directed by your doctor. If you experience a noticeable, distinct, and persistent throbbing pain in the jaw that persists after the fourth day, please call our office.
You may feel sharp edges near the surgical site as small bone fragments can surface during healing. They’re not pieces of tooth, but if they’re bothersome, contact us, and we’ll remove them.
If you usually wear a removable dental device that replaces missing teeth and rests on the surgery area, check with the doctor before starting to wear it again after surgery. It is important not to put any pressure on the surgery site. If your bite feels different when you start wearing the device again, or if you had a bone graft placed and it feels like the device is hitting the extraction site, call our office.
If bone was placed during your extraction, this information is for you. You may notice tiny granules in your mouth for a few days. That’s completely normal. Avoid touching or rinsing for the first 24 hours, and don’t press the grafted area with your tongue or fingers. Avoid smoking and don’t pull your lip to check the site. After two days, you can begin gentle rinsing. If a partial denture or flipper was placed, visit your dentist for adjustments and to learn how to remove and replace it properly. Keep your follow-up appointment to ensure proper healing.