You just had surgery and will have some amount of discomfort or pain. The amount varies between patients and with the difficulty of the procedure. You can take Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil, as instructed on the bottle and by your Doctor. Your Doctor may have prescribed additional pain medications if he thought they were needed, please take these as directed. If you think you need additional medication, please go by the office during operating hours. We do not phone in pain. medication at night or on the weekends. If you smoke, stop smoking for at least two weeks after surgery. Smoking will cause increased pain and increase the risk of a dry socket.
Your swelling will be the largest on about the third day after surgery. You can use ice packs for the first few days to slow the swelling. Afterwards, moist heat packs are the best.
Everyone bleeds after surgery, but your bleeding should be under control before you leave the office. You may ooze blood up to 24 hours after surgery. Avoid causing a vacuum in your mouth (i.e DO NOT use a straw, smoke, spit, etc.), avoid drinking hot fluids, avoid forceful rinsing of your mouth, do not exercise for the first few days after surgery. If bleeding persists, place gauze over the surgical area and bite firmly for 1 hour and keep your head elevated. You can also wrap a moistened tea bag in gauze, place it in the surgical area and bite for 1 hour. Remember, one drop of red food coloring added to a jar of water will turn all the water red. The same goes for the spit in your mouth when it mixes with a small amount of blood.
Brush your teeth even around the surgical area to keep the bacterial count down. The less bacteria, the less chance of infection. You can use water, warm salt water, and other oral rinses to aid in cleaning your mouth. You may want to avoid mouthwashes containing alcohol for several days because of the sting associated with them.
Sometimes the doctor will place stitches in the surgical area. Usually these will dissolve. If the stitches fall out or become loose, that is expected. You can have your doctor check them at your follow up appointment.
You should eat soft foods, room temperature or cooler, for the first 3 days. As healing progresses, you can return to the foods you enjoyed before the surgery. Avoid hot fluids the first day and hard foods (i.e. raw carrots, hard candies, etc.) for several weeks. Drink plenty of fluids to include water, sports drinks, and fruit juices. The better your diet and fluid intake, the better you will feel and heal.
