If you’re having a tooth extracted in our office, we will always provide you with specific post-operative instructions on the day of your treatment. However, here’s a list of 12 basic instructions to keep your extraction site free of infection and other complications.
12 Post-Extraction Instructions to Stay Healthy:
#1. Do not smoke.
#2. Do not use a straw.
#3. Do not spit or rinse for 24 hours.
#4. Do not touch the extraction site with your tongue or hands.
#5. Your diet should only consist of soft foods that do not irritate the surgical site.
#6. Do not consume hot drinks, only cold ones. Yes you can have lots of ice cream.
#7. Apply ice packs over your face for 48 hours post-extraction with 20 minutes on and 10
minutes off (You can use a bag of frozen peas as well!)
#8. Keep the gauze: You would probably have a gauze placed over the extraction site, bite firmly on it for 30 minutes. Only change it after those 30 minutes have passed.
#9. Analgesics should be consumed before the effect of the local anesthesia wears off. You can use Tylenol or ibuprofen every 3–4 hours unless we have provided you with different instructions the day of your treatment.
#10. Avoid any strenuous exercise for 48 hours after the extraction.
#11. If you feel that your jaw muscles are stiff (we call that trismu) you can indirectly place a hot pack over that area of your face.
#12. On the second day of the extraction, use a warm salt water rinse after your meals to make sure that the extraction area remains clean.
If you follow these instructions your extraction site should recover properly. However, if you don’t you may develop common complications such as “dry socket” which means the bone beneath the extraction site is exposed.
When to Contact Our Office:
If you experience any of the following symptoms after your extraction, please call us at 440.354.0705 immediately.
- Fever or chills
- Nausea or vomiting
- Bloody nasal discharge
- If the jaw becomes very stiff and hinders normal function.
- If the wound does not show any signs of healing for 3 days
- If the swelling does not resolve in 3 days the surgical site becomes painful
- Heavy bleeding that persists for 4 hours after the extraction
If you have any questions before or after your extraction, my team and I are here to help. If you need to make an appointment, please call our office or make an online appointment.
Sincerely,
Patrick Soria, DDS
