After Extraction & Bone Graft

Post-Surgical Instructions

Diet

• Today’s diet will be cool and liquidy: ice cream, pudding, jello, yogurt, cottage cheese, apple sauce, etc.
• Tomorrow’s diet will be warm and soft: mashed potatoes, pasta, pancakes, eggs…And then you may advance as tolerated the following days.
• AVOID: acidic foods and juices, carbonated drinks and mouthwash as these may burn and sting.

Aftercare

• When you leave, you will have gauze at the surgical site. Bite down gently. You will change the gauze every 30 minutes until the bleeding stops.
• When you get home, take the gauze out. Have something to eat and then replace a fresh piece of gauze.
• NO RINSING for 3 days. Since we are placing bone graft material, if you rinse, you may rinse some of your bone graft out. Easy does it. NO HEAVY rinsing. Nice and gentle.
• Starting 3 days after surgery: Begin warm salt water soaks. NO RINSING. Fill mouth with warm salt water and hold for about 30 seconds. Then lean over a sink or basin and let it fall out. NO SPITTING.
• You may brush your teeth as normal. Avoid the surgical site and DO NOT SPIT.
• AVOID: Rinsing, spitting, gargling, sucking through a straw and smoking. NO SMOKING for 72 hours to prevent “dry socket.”
• Your stitches will dissolve and will fall out on their own in about 5-7 days. The warm salt water will help them to dissolve.
• You may feel some granules in your mouth. This is normal. DO NOT RINSE YOUR MOUTH.

Pain Management

• If not contraindicated, you will take one Motrin 600 mg tablet every 6 hours for the first 48 hours NO MATTER WHAT! This is mainly to help get ahead of swelling but it will also help keep you comfortable.
• Apply ice on the outside of your face – 30 minutes on 30 minutes off – for the first 2 days including the day of surgery and the next day.
• On the 3^rd day post-op, discontinue ice and start warm, moist heat to outside of face. This will help to return circulation to the area and will help decrease the swelling. 20 minutes on 20 minutes off.
• You may also be given a script for stronger pain medicine if you should need it. Pain is personal and different for everyone.
• CONTINUE ANTIBIOTIC UNTIL COMPLETELY GONE.