After tooth extraction or impacted tooth surgery
These are general instructions. If your surgeon told you something different, follow your surgeon.
The first 24 hours
- Bite firmly on the gauze for 30–60 minutes. If it is still bleeding, place fresh gauze.
- Do not rinse, spit or drink through a straw — the blood clot must stay in place.
- Apply an ice pack to the face: 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.
- Eat soft, cool food and avoid hot or hard food.
- Do not smoke cigarettes or hookah for at least 72 hours — it is the main cause of dry socket.
- Keep your head slightly raised when sleeping.
From the second day
- Rinse gently with warm salt water several times a day, especially after meals.
- Brush your teeth, taking care around the surgical area.
- Take your medicines exactly as prescribed and finish the course of antibiotics.
- Swelling usually peaks on the second or third day and then settles.
Call the clinic straight away if
- Bleeding that does not stop after an hour of pressure on gauze
- A temperature above 38°C
- Swelling that keeps increasing after the third day
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing — go to the emergency department
- Severe pain that starts or worsens on the third or fourth day
- Numbness of the lip or tongue that remains after the anaesthetic has worn off