Had A Tooth Pulled Or Other Dental Surgery? Home Care Instructions

Having a tooth pulled, or any substantial dental surgery, can leave you wondering how to care for yourself in the hours or days to come. This article is meant to simplify the experience and cover the fundamentals as you heal.

Immediately after the procedure:
– Bite on large gauze for 30 minutes with moderate, steady pressure. Repeat as needed. Large gauze with a corner sticking out of the mouth is advisable, as small gauze can accidentally be ingested while numbness remains.

For the first 24 hours:
– Keep your head elevated.
– Apply an ice pack outside your mouth over the surgical area and repeat for 20 minutes on and 10 minutes off.

After the first 24 hours:
– Make a warm salt water rinse by adding 1/2 a tablespoon of salt to one cup (8oz) of water, rinse 30 seconds, 3 times daily for the next 3 days or as needed.
– Brush teeth normally, do not brush on the surgical area.

For the next week:
– Decrease your activity. Rest, sleep, and avoid strenuous activities.
– Do not smoke.
– Do not spit, such, or use a straw – this can dislodge the developing clot.

Eating instructions:
– Eating and drinking can begin after gauze is removed. Make sure you can swallow water easily before attempting to eat. Start with soft foods and consume only room-temperature or cold foods and beverages, particularly for the first day. Do not consume nuts, seeds, or sharp food. These can traumatize wounds or get lodged in the surgical area.
– Chew on the opposite side of your mouth, and avoid letting food migrate into the surgical site.
– Consuming food before pain medication will help avoid side-effects.
– If food becomes stuck in the surgical site, gently rinse/swish room-temperature water over the site to lift particles up. Do not do so aggressively, as this could dislodge the clot.

What you can expect:
– To see diluted blood in your mouth for the next 2-3 days. It can be useful to sleep on a towel or an old pillowcase should any extrude while you are sleeping.
– To have swelling around the surgical site. The swelling may increase for the first 2-3 days, however for no longer. Should swelling continue, this may be a growing infection or other complication and require emergency care. If you were swollen before the procedure, expect rapid swelling reduction and contact your surgeon should conditions worsen.
– To be very sore for at least 4 days, with the 3rd day being the worst. The soreness should taper away over the following week. Substantial pain after 7 days may indicate a healing complication and a follow-up appointment should be considered.
– To have bad breath for 1-2 weeks.

Contact the surgeon immediately for:
– Repeated vomiting
– Stomach pain
– Uncontrolled bleeding
– Continued or excessive pain
– A fever of 101 F or greater
– Difficulty breathing
– Limited opening of the jaw
– Numbness or tingling which does not go away, as well as altered muscle function

Antibiotics can inhibit the effect of contraceptives (“birth control”). Utilize appropriate precautions during the course of any antibiotic regimen.

For additional relief, a black tea bag can be soaked in water, frozen or chilled, and gently applied to the surgical site. This releases tannins, reducing pain. Gauze/thin cotton can be wrapped around the bag for additional comfort.

A thick white, soft film over the surgical site will form in the first week. This is an intraoral scab & is normal.

Contact your surgeon should anything seem out of the ordinary and do not assume certain bothersome sensations will go away after the first 1-2 weeks.