After Wisdom Tooth Removal - Niagara dental implant & oral surgery

After Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Please read these instructions carefully

Very often the after-effects of oral surgery are quite minimal, so not all instructions may apply. Common sense will often dictate what you should do.

It is our desire that your recovery be as smooth and pleasant as possible. Following these instructions will assist you, but if you have questions about your progress, call the office. Please try to call during office hours. However, if you must call after hours, instructions for contacting the doctor will be provided in the message. Calling during office hours will afford a faster response.

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Dr. Nigalye Discusses Post-Op Care - Wisdom Teeth Removal

DAY OF SURGERY

Bite down firmly on the gauze packs that have been placed over the surgical areas, making sure they remain in place. Do not change them for the first hour. If active bleeding persists after one hour, place enough new gauze to obtain pressure over the surgical site for another 45-60 minutes. The gauze may be changed as necessary, just remember that steady pressure is essential to control bleeding. Intermittent bleeding or oozing is normal.

Bleeding should never be severe. If it is, it usually means that the packs are being clenched between your teeth rather than exerting pressure on the surgical areas. Try repositioning with fresh packs. Once a fresh pack is placed leave it in place with firm pressure for at least 45-60 minutes.  Frequent changing of gauze that is not left in place for a long enough time will only serve to disrupt the wound and cause more bleeding.   If bleeding persists or becomes heavy, you may substitute a tea bag (soaked in warm water, squeezed damp-dry and wrapped in a moist gauze) for 45-60 minutes. If uncontrollable bleeding continues, please call our office. DO NOT forcefully spit out as this will only cause more bleeding.    

Do not disturb the surgical area today. Do NOT rinse, brush or probe that area with any objects or your fingers. DO NOT SMOKE for at least 4 DAYS, since it is very detrimental to healing.

Often there is some swelling associated with oral surgery. You can minimize this by using a cold pack or ice bag wrapped in a towel and applied firmly to your face or cheek adjacent to the surgical area. This should be applied twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off during the first 12 to 24 hours after surgery. Swelling will usually increase through the second and third post operative days. It is not until the fourth post-operative day that the swelling will begin to subside.

Unfortunately, most oral surgery is accompanied by some degree of discomfort. Many times an over-the-counter pain medication provides adequate pain relief.

Please be warned that some narcotic pain medications have an addictive or habit forming potential. To limit your risk to this you may alternate the narcotic pain medication with plain, over-the-counter Tylenol (Acetaminophen).  Do not however take both the narcotic pain medication and Tylenol together as the narcotic pain medication may already contain the active ingredient in Tylenol which may cause an unsafe overdose of Tylenol. 

Your doctor will decide whether or not you will actually require a prescription pain medication. In any case, taking the first pill before the anesthetic has worn off will manage your discomfort better. Effect of pain medicines vary widely among individuals. Taking the medication around-the-clock will reduce your post operative discomfort. Please remember if you have been prescribed a narcotic pain medication you may not drive, operate heavy machinery or care for young children for several hours after taking this medication.

OTHER SYMPTOMS YOU MAY EXPERIENCE

…All of which are normal: You may have a slight earache; you may develop a sore throat; your other teeth may ache. Bruising in the area of an extraction may occur. There will be a space or hole where the tooth was removed; this will gradually fill in.

An upset stomach is common following oral surgery. General anesthesia, pain medications (especially narcotic medications) and swallowing blood all contribute to nausea. Usually this nausea does not last long. Try to keep down clear liquids first, then advance to more solid foods as tolerated. If the nausea becomes severe or persists for more than 24 hours, please let us know.

Eat any nourishing food that can be taken with comfort. Temperature of the food doesn’t matter, but avoid extremely hot foods. It is sometimes advisable, but not required, to confine the first day’s intake to bland liquids or pureed foods (creamed soups, puddings, yogurt, milkshakes, etc.) Do not drink through a straw.

Avoid foods like nuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn, etc, that may get lodged in the socket areas. Over the next several days you can progress to solid foods at your own pace. It is important not to skip meals! If you take nourishment regularly, you will feel better, gain strength, have less discomfort and heal faster. If you are diabetic, maintain your normal eating habits as much as possible and follow instructions from us or your physician regarding your insulin schedule.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECOND AND THIRD DAYS

Keeping your mouth clean after surgery is essential. Use one-half teaspoon of salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water and gently rinse with portions of the solution, taking five minutes to use the entire glassful. Repeat as often as you like, but at least two or three times daily for the next five days. DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide or any other available commercial oral rinse unless directed by your doctor.

Begin your normal oral hygiene routine the day after surgery. Soreness and swelling may not permit vigorous brushing of all areas, but please make every effort to clean your teeth within the bounds of comfort.

If you feel sharp edges in the surgical areas with your tongue, it is probably the bony walls which originally supported the teeth. These usually smooth out during the healing process.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ABOUT WISDOM TEETH EXTRACTIONS

Usually peaks 3 days post-surgery. Use of ice-packs on the outside of the jaw (20-minutes on / 20-minutes off) on the day of surgery will help minimize the swelling.

For most people, post-operative soreness is greatest on the evening of the surgery and the first post-operative day. You have likely been given a prescription for a synthetic-type of narcotic. If you are able to take Ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil), alternating this medication with the prescribed medication may provide the best pain relief. For example: If the first dose of the prescribed narcotic-type medication is taken at 10:00 am, and you will be taking this every six hours, then at 1:00 pm you may take 200 mg to 600 mg of Ibuprofen (1-3 pills of the over-the-counter formulation). At 4:00 pm you may take another of the narcotic-type medication. You may continue this alternation as needed. Make sure you have something in your stomach when taking these medications.  Once you have exhausted your supply of narcotic pain medication you may switch to overthecounter Tylenol (acetaminophen).  Do not take acetaminophen in addition to the narcotic pain medication because in most cases the narcotic medication already contains acetaminophen.  Doing so might cause an over-ingestion of acetaminophen.   

Normal healing after tooth extractions should be as follows. The day of surgery is usually tolerable. From the first day after surgery to the third day after surgery you will experience the most discomfort.  The fourth and fifth day after surgery is when you should start noticing an improvement in your level of discomfort.  On the third day after surgery you should be able to begin a more substantial diet.  From the fourth day after surgery, GRADUAL, STEADY IMPROVEMENT should make up the remainder of your post-operative course.  If you are using Sockit! Gel you are not likely to experience a dry socket.  Sockit! Get should be placed in the lower sockets approximately every 4-5 hours after surgery for the first several days until it is finished.  If a DRY SOCKET occurs (loss of blood clot from socket, usually on the 3rd to 5th day after surgery), there is a noticeable, distinct, persistent throbbing pain in the jaw, often radiating toward the ear and forward along the jaw to cause other teeth to ache. If you don’t see steady improvement during the first  days after surgery, don’t suffer needlessly. Call the office and report symptoms.

Most people experience a decreased ability to open their mouth, especially following the removal of the lower wisdom teeth. Normal range of motion usually returns within 7-9 days.

If you wear an orthodontic retainer, it may be reinserted when it is most comfortable to do so.

If you smoke, try not to smoke for as long as possible after your surgery. Smoking makes it very difficult for your body to heal itself and makes it more likely for you to develop a dry socket or an infection.

If you had a lower wisdom tooth extracted you may have been given an empty plastic syringe.  You may use this syringe with salt or tap water on or after the 6th day after surgery to keep the sockets clear of food debris.  You may use this syringe as often as you like, however, using it after meals will provide the maximum benefit.  For more information please view our video below for a  demonstration of how to properly use the syringe to keep the lower sockets clean.   

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Still have questions on what to expect? We’re here for you.

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