After Tooth Extraction

• When you leave, you will have gauze at the surgical site. Bite down gently. You will change this gauze every 30 minutes until the bleeding stops.
• When you get home, take the gauze out. Have something to eat and then replace fresh gauze as needed.
• 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.
• 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. Use enough salt to make the warm water salty to the taste.
• 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.”)
• 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 (on the side of the extraction) – 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.