Stewart Dental - Post-Op Information

Information Following a Tooth Extraction

After an extraction, a wet gauze pad is placed over the extraction site to prevent excessive bleeding and to promote the healing of a blood clot. Keep pressure on it for 30-45 minutes.
Some bleeding may continue after you remove the gauze pad. If so, replace it with a new one. Fold a piece of clean gauze into a pad thick enough to bite on. Dampen the pad and place it directly on the extraction site.
If heavy bleeding persists after changing the pad, call our office. However, you can expect your saliva to be lightly tinged with blood up to 24 hours after extraction.
Following an extraction, some swelling and skin bruising may occur. A cold moist cloth or an ice bag applied to the cheek will keep it to a minimum.
Call our office if you have prolonged or severe pain, swelling, bleeding or fever.
Take any medication we prescribed only as directed.
Wait until the bleeding has subsided before you eat or drink. This usually takes 30 to 45 minutes after the extraction. After that, drink lots of liquids and eat soft, nutritious foods.
When you are comfortable enough to eat solid foods, try to chew on the side opposite the extraction site. If you are troubled with any nausea, call our office for advice.
Start brushing your teeth the day after the extraction or when we recommend that you do so. However, avoid brushing directly on the extraction site.

DON'T

Do not smoke for the first 24 hours.
Try not to accidentally bite the inside of your mouth while it is still numb from the anesthesia that was used for the extraction. The numbness should subside within a few hours. Until then, you'll want to be careful not to bite your cheek, lip, or tongue.
Avoid activities that involve a sucking action.
These above-mentioned activities that create suction in the mouth, which could disturb the clot that forms in the tooth socket. The clot is an important part of the normal healing process. If it is dislodged, healing might be delayed.
Do not increase the recommended dosage of medication. If you have prolonged or severe pain, call out office. We will give you exact instruction on how to care for your problem.
Do not rinse mouth vigorously.