After Exposure of an Impacted Tooth

Do not disturb the wound. Avoid biting into anything. Unless otherwise directed, do not rinse your mouth the day of your surgery.

Bleeding

Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding which results in your mouth filling rapidly with blood can frequently be controlled by biting with pressure on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for 30 minutes. Keep your jaws closed tightly on the gauze pack for 30-60 minutes to help stop the bleeding and to keep saliva away from the open tooth socket. This compress may be discarded. If bleeding can be seen at the extraction site after removal of the gauze, then place new gauze over the extraction site and apply pressure for an additional 30 minutes. Repeat as necessary. If bleeding continues, then please call for further instructions.

Swelling

Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice bag or a plastic bag or towel filled with ice cubes on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice on and off for 20 minutes at a time as much as possible for the first 24 hours.

Diet

When the gauze pack is no longer necessary, you may drink cold, non-carbonated liquids (juices, malts, tea, etc.). Avoid drinking any liquids through a straw. Please avoid anything hot for the first 24 hours. All food and drinks should be cold or room temperature. Avoid hard foods. Soft food (soup, pasta, yogurt, ice cream, scrambled eggs, milk shakes, apple sauce, cottage cheese, Jello, pancakes, etc.) and liquids (Gatorade, lemonade, Java Juice, Ensure, Sustacal, any fruit juices or protein shakes) should be ingested following your surgery. Return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed. Dr. Albright will discuss any specific post-operative dietary needs with you.

Pain

In most circumstances, pain medication will be prescribed post-operatively. Please follow the instructions on the prescription. We advise you take your medication with food (to avoid nausea) and within two hours of your procedure to minimize discomfort. The prescribed pain medicine will make you groggy and will slow down your reflexes. Do not drive an automobile or work around machinery. Please make sure small children cannot obtain your medication! Avoid alcoholic beverages. Most of our patients have minimal post-operative pain. Pain or discomfort following surgery should subside more and more every day. If pain persists past two or three days please contact our office as all of your follow up visits are included in your surgery fee. We are relying on you to communicate with us. It is our goal for this to be a very pleasant experience for you.

Oral Hygiene

Mouth cleanliness is essential to good healing. Clean your mouth thoroughly after each meal beginning the day after surgery. Brush your teeth as best you can avoiding the surgical site. Rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) six times a day. If you are unable to eat salt, please rinse with mouthwash and water. Continue this procedure until healing is complete. REMEMBER: A clean wound heals better and faster.

Activity

Please keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery. If you are considering exercise, throbbing or bleeding may occur. If this occurs, you should discontinue exercising. Remember that you are probably not taking normal nourishment or are under the influence of a narcotic analgesic, which can weaken your balance. So take it easy and use common sense!