Do not smoke or use oral tobacco. It is absolutely the worst thing you can do after surgery.
Do not over exercise. The heart rate will increase and thus bleeding will increase.
Spitting, the use of a straw, smoking, and poking can dislodge the blood clot that is forming, and will cause bleeding from the area. Also, smoking can increase the chances of infection.
Some minor bleeding is expected after extraction surgery. It will usually subside quickly, and stop within an hour or two after surgery. A little oozing is normal and may persist for several hours. Keep gauze on the extraction area with some pressure for one hour.
Remove the gauze after one hour, and replace it with a new piece of moist gauze if you are still bleeding. It is important to make sure the gauze is directly on the surgical site. Firm pressure for another hour should stop the bleeding.
If you find that this is not working after your third attempt, use a moistened tea bag instead of gauze. The tannic acid in tea will help to form a blood clot, and stop the bleeding.
In the rare event that the tea bag does not work and bleeding persists please call Dr Sims (773)517-7073.
Most patients will experience some swelling after surgery. It may be mild or sever, and is different for every patient. The swelling will get bigger for the first 24 to 48 hours before it starts to go away. It may last for several days to one week. Some bruising may also develop on the face.
Use an ice pack (frozen peas work really well) on the cheek or face next to the surgical site. Keep it on for 15 minutes, then off for 15 minutes and repeat until you go to sleep. Start again the next day.
Sleep with your head elevated slightly, above the heart. This will keep swelling down.
On the third day, change to moist heat instead of icepacks. This will bring swelling down quicker.
Stay on a soft diet, chew away from the extracted tooth/teeth and avoid any foods that would be more likely to get stuck in the extraction site, such as corn, popcorn, nuts, and seeds (fruits like strawberries have seeds). Do this for at least 5 weeks. Citric juices, carbonated beverages or acidic foods, like tomatoes, may make it hurt, but won’t damage the graft healing though. For the first 7 days avoid really hot foods or drinks.
Do not use a water-pik or an electric toothbrush around the surgical area for 6 weeks after the procedure. After that, it should be OK. Do not floss around the tooth/teeth worked on for 1 week, so you don’t accidentally take out any of the stitches. After 4 weeks, there should be no oral hygiene restrictions, except for water-piks & electric toothbrushes as noted above.
Rinse your mouth out (don’t swish) with warm salt water (1/2-tsp. salt in 8-ounce glass of warm water). Hold this in the mouth for 30 seconds and spit out. Repeat. Do this 4-5 times per day for 7 days.
You were probably given one or more prescriptions for medications. Take all medications with a full glass of water, and as directed on the bottle.
Pain medicine: Continue as necessary. Remember that narcotics can make you drowsy, so no driving, operating machinery, or alcoholic beverages while taking them.