• DO NOT TOUCH THE SITE. Avoid exploring the area with your tongue or fingers. By touching the area with your tongue, you will irritate the tissues which can lead to increased pain, poor healing, and tissue loss. 
• Keep the gauze pad placed over the surgical site and gently bite down for 30 minutes, after which it should be removed and discarded
• Avoid mouth-rinsing or touching the surgery site as this can dislodge the blood clot forming over the wound
• Take the medications prescribed as soon as you have something to eat. Do not wait until you feel pain, which generally happens around the time the anesthetic starts to wear off
• Limit your activities on the day of surgery. It is okay to resume light activity such as house chores the following day or when you begin feeling comfortable. No strenuous activity for one week following surgery 
• Place ice packs on your cheeks over the surgery site. Refer to the section, below, about swelling for further information
• For the first 3 days after surgery, avoid spitting or drinking with a straw. 
• It is very important not to smoke for 5–7 days after surgery. Smoking, even electronic cigarettes, will increase your pain and delay healing. It is difficult to control pain caused by wound damage due to the use of tobacco products. Defined as the loss of a blood clot, a dry socket results in exposed bone and can be very painful, usually in the fourth or fifth day after surgery. 
• Sleep with your head elevated for the first 3 days. This can be done by propping extra pillows under your head. This is very important to help reduce swelling. 

You may notice some moderate bleeding, redness, or oozing in your mouth and saliva for the first 24 hours after your wisdom tooth removal. If you experience excessive bleeding (mouth filling with bright red blood), you can control this by gently biting on a gauze pad placed over the wound for 30 minutes. This can be repeated if necessary.

 Light pink blood on the gauze is normal. This is caused by very small amounts of blood mixing with your saliva. This may take up to 48 hours to completely stop. You may also notice a little bleeding after you brush your teeth or eat for the first few days after surgery. This is normal. 

Additionally, you can gently bite down on a COLD  moistened tea bag for 30 minutes to reduce bleeding. The tannic acid in tea helps your body in forming a blood clot. If this excessive bleeding continues, please call our office for instructions. 

Swelling after surgery is not uncommon and can be expected around the mouth, cheeks, eyes, and sides of the face. You may not notice this right after the surgery. Swelling will increase and be worse the first 2-3 days after your surgery. 

To minimize the swelling, place ice packs on each side of the face immediately following surgery. Continue to use ice every 20-30 minutes for the first 36 hours. After 36 hours post-surgery, you can switch to moist heat, which will continue to reduce swelling. The ice packs have instructions for warming as well. Follow the instructions closely and be careful not to burn the skin. You can cover them with a warm moist towel. 

Swelling and jaw stiffness several days after surgery are also normal and are no cause for alarm. 

Once you are able to have some liquids or soft foods after surgery, you should start taking pain medication. Begin with Ibuprofen and gradually progress to stronger prescribed medication as needed. DO NOT wait until the anesthesia wears off and you feel pain to begin your medication. It is better to manage the pain with medications early on. 

If you are experiencing moderate pain, 1 or 2 Tylenol (325mg) or Extra Strength Tylenol (500mg) can be taken every 3-4 hours. If you prefer, Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) can be taken instead. Ibuprofen bought over-the-counter comes in 200 mg tablets; 2-3 tablets (400-600mg) can be taken every 3-4 hours. 

If you are in severe pain, take the medication prescribed as directed. This pain medication may make you feel tired or groggy. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery while taking them. Avoid alcoholic beverages. The pain or discomfort after surgery should become less each day. If the pain persists or grows worse after 2-3 days, it may require attention. Please call the office so we can help better control your pain. 

General anesthesia and pain medication can make you feel nauseous. This is normal. Benadryl (25-50mg) can be taken over the counter to help. Make sure to take your pain medications with a light meal to help prevent this. 

Ibuprofen can be taken at the same time as the prescribed pain medication and is preferred over Tylenol. If you can not take Ibuprofen, and take Tylenol, be mindful that the pain medication may have Tylenol already in it. You can take a maximum of 3,000mg of Tylenol per day. DO NOT take more than 8 regular or 6 extra strength Tylenol when taken alone. If you are taking pain medication with Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in it, the amount of over the counter tylenol per day has to be limited.  

If you are allergic to any of the above medications or have otherwise been instructed not to, do not take them. 

Anesthesia medications can male you feel nauseous after surgery. Start slowly with COLD liquids such as juice, smoothie, milkshake, etc. Avoid straws and drink directly from the glass instead. The sucking motion required to use a straw can easily dislodge the blood clot that forms after surgery. 

Dehydration can happen very quickly, making you feel tired and ill, and will slow your recovery.  It is very important to drink plenty of fluids – at least 5 to 6 glasses every day. Even if you do not feel like eating solid foods, make sure to drink plenty of liquids. Juice and sports drinks will help replenish electrolytes. Avoid carbonated beverages such as soda. 

You can eat soft foods, but care should be taken to eat in areas of the mouth away from the surgical site(s). Avoid HOT food for 24 hours after surgery. Room temperature food is ok, however hot food can increase bleeding and cause burning of the mouth while you are still numb. Since you will likely be eating a little less than usual, it is important to consume nutritious, high calorie, high protein foods to maintain your strength and help with healing. You should continue to eat as regularly as possible and avoid skipping meals. Foods similar to yogurt, apple sauce, soft pasta, mashed potatoes are all OK. Avoid hard crunchy foods such as nuts, chips, hard toast for 5-7 days. 

Caution: After surgery, sitting or standing suddenly from a lying position can cause dizziness. Be sure to sit slowly, and continue sitting for at least 1 minute before attempting to stand. 

You should not spit or rinse in any way on the day of your surgery. Brushing your teeth the night of surgery is acceptable, but rinsing should be done very carefully to avoid dislodging the blood clot forming over your surgery site. Gently tilt your head side to side and let the liquid fall out of your mouth, DO NOT SPIT. Avoid ALL over the counter mouthwash for one week as the alcohol can damage the healing tissue and cause worsening pain. 

The day after surgery you can start gently rinsing with warm salt water (one teaspoon of salt dissolved in a cup of warm water) at least 5-6 times per day. Gently tilt your head side to side and let the liquid fall out of your mouth, DO NOT SPIT. Rinsing is especially important after meals and snacks. Increased pain levels are usually from food being trapped in the surgical site. On day 3 you can begin to rinse more aggressively.

If you were given a syringe, you can begin to use the syringe on day 3 after surgery. Fill the syringe with warm salt water, or with a rinse if you were prescribed one. Point it towards the area, but do not stick it in the surgical site. Push the syringe plunger down to let out all the fluid and rinse any food that may be stuck in the socket. It is important to do this each time you eat for days 3-7 after surgery. 

Numbness in the lip, cheek, and tongue are completely normal after surgery and should be no cause for alarm. You might not be able to feel if you bite one of these areas, so extra care should be taken until you can feel them again, especially while eating. Make sure to avoid hot food while you are numb as you may burn yourself. If the numbness lasts longer than 1 week please contact the office. 

Immediately following surgery, you may have a slightly elevated temperature. This is also common and can be managed with Tylenol or Ibuprofen. If the fever persists (greater than 101F), please notify our office. 

After the surgery, you might feel lightheaded or dizzy. This will be intensified by the fact that you weren’t allowed to eat or drink before surgery. Sitting or standing up suddenly from a lying position can cause dizziness. Be sure to sit up slowly, and continue sitting for at least 1 minute before attempting to stand. 

Sometimes, patients report feeling hard projections in their mouth following wisdom tooth removal surgery. These are not roots, but rather the boney walls that supported the tooth. Over time they will smooth out on their own, but if not, or if they are especially bothersome, we can remove them once the area has healed. 

During surgery, the corners of your mouth were probably stretched a little bit, which can lead to cracking or dryness. We recommend keeping them moist with an ointment like Vaseline or chapstick. 

You may experience a sore throat and pain when swallowing. This is mostly due to the swelling in the throat muscles and should subside within 2-3 days. If this continues longer than 5-7 days then please contact the office. If you experience difficulty breathing, then please contact the office immediately. 

Jaw muscle stiffness is also common following oral surgery and may lead to difficulty opening your mouth for a few days. It is a normal reaction and will resolve on its own. Around Day 3, you should begin to open your mouth as wide as possible to stretch out these muscles. If you continue to keep your mouth closed and do not try and open normally again, the stiffness will last longer than normal. 

Sometimes the dissolvable sutures placed after surgery to minimize bleeding and aid in healing may become dislodged. This is no cause for alarm – simply remove the suture from your mouth and discard it. Most often, the sutures will dissolve on their own in 3-7 days. 

Pain and swelling will be the worst at days 2-3 but should begin to diminish with each day that passes after that. If at any time it begins to worsen or if unusual symptoms appear, please call our office for further instructions. 

Where we remove the tooth, there will be a cavity or hole left behind. This area will begin to fill with tissue as it heals over the next month. During this time, extra care should be taken to keep the area clean, especially after meals. You can do this by rinsing with warm salt water and brushing regularly.

A “dry socket” may occur if the blood clot becomes dislodged too early from the tooth socket. Symptoms may include pain at the surgical site, in the jaw, or ear pain and usually starts 3-5 days post-surgery. If this happens, call the office. 

No two mouths are alike, and your case is unique to you. While friends and family may offer some advice on their experience, we recommend that you discuss any problems with our highly trained staff. 

It is okay to brush your teeth, but be gentle around the surgical site. 

Regular exercise routines should wait until you’ve fully recovered, one week, due to decreased nourishment and increased risk of dizziness or lightheadedness. Exercise may make these things worse, and care should be taken to return to exercise slowly. If you feel lightheaded while exercising, stop. This will reduce the chances of injury. Exercise too early can cause problems like a dry socket and worsening pain.