Initial Post-Operative Instructions
• Use firm biting pressure on gauze over surgical area for one to two hours. Do not sleep with gauze in your mouth.
• Avoid vigorous mouth-rinsing or touching wounds.
• Take prescribed pain meds for discomfort and pain
• Restrict activity
• Use ice packs on your face
• Numbness will wear off. Until then, be careful not to bite your cheek or lip.
• If nausea and/or vomiting occur, sip on coke, tea or ginger ale slowly over a fifteen-minute period. Do not take medications when you feel sick to your stomach.
BLEEDING
• Normal: light oozing, redness in saliva.
• Excessive: place gauze pad over area and bite firmly for one-two hours.
• Alternative Method: Bite on a moistened tea bag for thirty minutes
SWELLING
• Usually occurs the next day after surgery and maxes out after two to three days.
• Use ice packs for the first 36 hours.
• After 36 hours, switch to using moist heat, such as a warm, wet towel.
ORAL HYGEINE
• No rinsing on day one.
• Brush teeth at bedtime day one, rinse gently.
• Keep the mouth clean by rinsing with warm salt water.
• Continue salt water routine while wounds heal.
MEDICINE AND FOOD INTAKE
• Take pain meds as subscribed and only if needed.
• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen if fever is detected.
• Take antibiotics, if prescribed, to ward off infection. Be sure to follow directions and take the entire dose.
• Limit solid food intake for the first few days.
• Do not use a straw. Avoid chewing near surgical sites.
DIZZINESS
• To avoid dizziness before standing, sit up a minute after lying down.
• Make sure you are getting enough liquid intake to compensate for your lack of solid food.
DISCOLORATION
For two or three days, the development of black, blue, green, or yellow discoloration is due to blood spreading beneath the tissues. To ease symptoms, use moist heat, such as a warm, wet towel.
FACTS EVERY PATIENT SHOULD KNOW:
• A stiff jaw may make it hard to open your mouth for the first few days.
• A sore throat should subside in two to three days.
• An empty space (cavity) where the tooth was removed will take about one month to heal over completely.
• Sutures may eventually work themselves loose. Just remove gently and throw away.
• As your mouth heals, you may feel hard projections. These bony walls supported the teeth. If these don’t smooth out on their own, your surgeon will explain how to deal with them.
Please call the office to report:
• Uncontrollable bleeding
• Persistent or high fever
• Ear pain near surgical site after 2-3 days
• Symptoms of pain at the surgical site after 2-3 days
If you have concerns, call us during office hours. After hours, post-operative patients should call 314-921-1129 and leave a message with our 24-hour answering service.