Post-Op Dental Instructions Waco

What to Do on the First Day

• DO bite on your gauze pack firmly for 30-45 minutes.
• DO use ice packs for the next 5-8 hours in order to minimize swelling.
• DO stick to a diet of soft foods.
• DO take your first pain pill after the gauze sponge is removed. It’s best taken after a meal.
• DO maintain a high fluid intake, which can include juice, milk, water, iced tea, or soup.

What NOT to Do on the First Day

• Do NOT spit or swallow your saliva as much as possible.
• Do NOT rinse or gargle.
• Do NOT smoke or drink any liquids through a straw.
• Do NOT drink alcoholic or carbonated beverages.
• Do NOT drink hot beverages (warm is all right).
• Do NOT engage in overly strenuous activities.

Second Day Instructions

On the second day, patients can begin rinsing their mouths every 2-4 hours. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water to help with this. Also, be sure not to skip meals. A nutritionally balanced diet can help greatly with the healing process.

More Important Information

• Most patients will experience some discomfort on the first day. Pain medication will help make it tolerable. This should gradually decrease over the next 4-5 days.
• Some light bleeding is normal. Because the blood is mixing with your saliva, it’ll seem more severe than it actually is. Bite firmly on a gauze pack for 30 minutes at a time and repeat this until the bleeding subsides.
• It is common to experience some facial swelling. It will likely be most noticeable after 36 hours. Using ice packs for the first 6-8 hours after surgery can help minimize this. After 24 hours, switch to moist heat (10 minutes on and 10 minutes off).
• Regularly exercise your jaw muscles to prevent stiffness. Chewing gum can help with this!
• If you’re experiencing nausea, drink an ounce of a carbonated drink every hour for 5-6 hours. Then, stick to mild tea, clear broth, and soft foods before resuming a regular diet. Be sure not to take pain pills on an empty stomach.
• Continue to brush and floss your remaining teeth.
• If stitches were placed, they should dissolve within one week.
• If we prescribe you antibiotics, please take them until you run out. If you develop an allergic reaction such as itching or a rash, stop taking them immediately and contact us!
• Small, sharp bone fragments may work their way through the gums during healing. If they bother you, please contact us; we can remove them.
• Black and blue discoloration can occur on your face after extraction. This typically resolves itself after a few days.