Extraction Post-Operative Care

Extraction Post-Operative Care:

During the next 24 hours

Do: Continue to bite down gently on the gauze we gave you for 60 minutes after your appointment. If the area continues to bleed, replace with new gauze for another 60 minutes. It is normal to have some light oozing after this time as the wound heals.

Do: Start taking pain medications before your anesthetic wears off. If we gave you a prescription, this will be sent to the pharmacy before you leave our office.

Do:  Eat softer foods and favor the other side of the mouth today. It is normal for the area to be tender. Try to keep food debris away from the extraction area.

Do: Ice the area as much as possible over the next 2-3 days. This is generally done for 10-15 minutes at a time. Ideally, do this three times per day.

Don’t: Brush the area for the rest of the day.

Don’t:  Use a straw. The sucking motion can cause the blood clot (necessary for proper healing) to dislodge and increase the chance for a painful infection.

Don’t: Smoke or use tobacco products. The products negatively affect healing and greatly increase the chance of painful infections.

Don’t: If you had bone augmentation, don’t be alarmed if you notice small pieces of white crystal (like rock salt) come out of the area. In addition, you may notice a white plug come out of the area. This is all normal and part of the healing process.

After 24 hours and for the following week

Do: Continue to eat softer foods and favor the other side of the mouth. It is normal for the area to be tender. In addition, avoid small foods that can get caught in the area (quinoa, rice, etc.). Try to keep any food debris away from the area.

Do: Gently brush the area. It is normal to have some bleeding when you brush the area and for it to be very inflamed while it heals, especially around any stitches. We will give you further instructions on cleaning the area when you come in at your follow up appointment and we remove any stitches.

Do: If you notice swelling, apply an ice pack to the area for 10 minutes and remove for 10 minutes. You can do this as much as you feel is needed.

Do:  Continue to avoid the following:

-Using a straw

-smoking or tobacco products

In general, the pain will slowly decrease over the 1-2 weeks. The area will take weeks to completely heal and the most important time for healing is the first week.