Thank you for trusting our team with your care. Proper post-operative care is essential for healing and comfort. Please read these instructions carefully following your procedure.
Managing Bleeding After Surgery
Some bleeding is normal after oral surgery.
- Bite firmly on the gauze pad placed over the surgical site.
- Keep steady pressure until bleeding slows.
- Replace gauze as needed.
- Continue applying pressure until bleeding stops.
Dizziness After Surgery
It is common to feel lightheaded after surgery.
- Sit up slowly.
- Pause for a minute before standing.
- Avoid sudden movements.
This sensation typically resolves within a few days.
Activity Restrictions
- Avoid strenuous activity for 3–4 days.
- Resume normal activity as tolerated.
- Rest is encouraged during the first 24 hours.
Increased heart rate and activity may restart bleeding.
Pain Medication & Prescriptions
Take all medications exactly as prescribed.
If you were prescribed narcotic pain medication (stronger than Tylenol or ibuprofen):
- Do NOT drive.
- Do NOT operate machinery.
- Avoid important decisions while medicated.
- Avoid alcohol.
These medications can cause drowsiness and impair judgment.
If antibiotics were prescribed, complete the full course.
Swelling, Bruising & Discomfort
Swelling and soreness are expected.
- Swelling typically increases for 3–4 days.
- Improvement begins after this period.
- Most patients taper off pain medication during the second week.
Facial swelling around the eyes and cheeks is common.
Cold Compress (First 48 Hours)
- Apply near the surgical area.
- 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.
- Always place cloth between ice and skin.
- Ice is no longer effective after 48 hours.
After 36 Hours
Switch to moist heat to reduce swelling and stiffness.
Eating & Drinking After Oral Surgery
First 24–48 Hours — Avoid:
- Rinsing
- Spitting
- Smoking
- Drinking from a bottle
- Carbonated beverages
- Alcohol
- Hot or spicy foods
Avoid straws for one full week to prevent increased bleeding.
Recommended Diet
Stick to soft foods and liquids:
- Soup (lukewarm)
- Yogurt
- Smoothies (no straw)
- Juice
- Soft pasta
- Scrambled eggs
Advance diet slowly as tolerated.
Oral Hygiene Instructions
- Do NOT brush, rinse, or spit on the day of surgery.
- Resume gentle brushing the following day (avoid surgical sites).
Salt Water Rinse
Beginning the day after surgery:
Mix:
½ teaspoon salt
8 oz warm water
Rinse gently 3 times per day for 7–10 days.
This helps keep the area clean and promotes healing.
Temporary Numbness
You may experience numbness of the lip, chin, or tongue.
- This is typically temporary.
- Normal sensation usually returns within a few days.
- Be careful while eating to avoid accidental biting.
If numbness persists beyond several weeks, contact our office.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping is normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers. If you experience excessive bleeding or discomfort after 48-72 hours, please call our office immediately.
- You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen according to the instructions on the label or those provided by our office as needed.
- Swelling around the face, eyes, and surgical site is not uncommon and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the implant site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- A warm salt water rinse, approximately ½ teaspoon in an eight-ounce glass of water, three times a day can be helpful.
- Avoid brushing your teeth near the surgery site but brush and floss the rest of your mouth as instructed by our office.
- For 24 hours following your surgery, do not suck on a straw, brush, rinse, spit, or smoke.
- For the first 24 hours, you may experience some cold and heat sensitivity. Avoid hot and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
- Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid excessive work or play, and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.
- After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight-ounce glass of water, three times a day.
- During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies.
- Follow any other instructions provided by the office on your visit. Please take all medications as prescribed including your prescribed antibiotics to help prevent infection.
- If you have a denture that overlaps the implant site, please minimize the use of the denture following surgery to allow the site to heal. After the first week, you should be able to gradually increase the amount of time you can wear your denture.
- It is extremely important to keep your follow-up appointment(s) so that we can monitor the healing process.
- If pain and swelling are increasing after a few days, please call our office right away.
- Some pain, bleeding, swelling, and seeping is normal following oral surgery. Please do not try to view the site by pulling on your lip and do not probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Avoid forcefully rinsing or spitting or drinking through a straw. Biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes will help reduce bleeding. Some bleeding is normal for the first 24 hours. If bleeding continues please call our office.
- Please take all medications, including mouth rinses, as prescribed.
- After 24 hours, warm salt water rinses (one-half teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) can be used 4-5 times a day after meals.
- After 24 hours, brush your teeth with a soft manual toothbrush. Be gentle with brushing the surgical areas.
- Sutures may be placed after the surgery, and most sutures dissolve on their own.
- Swelling and bruising may occur. Applying a cold compress to the face near the surgical site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling. Alternate the warm pack on and off in 15-minute intervals as needed.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from spicy or acidic foods. Also avoid sharp and crunchy foods like tacos, chips, and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol should not be used. Alcohol should not be used in combination with pain medications nor antibiotics.
- Keep physical activities to a minimum immediately following surgery.
- Please refrain from blowing your nose for up to four weeks following your surgery. Do not hold your nose when sneezing. Avoid flying in pressured aircraft, scuba diving, bearing down when lifting heavy objects, blowing up balloons, playing musical instruments that require a blowing action, or any other activity that increases nasal or oral pressure for at least four weeks after surgery.
- Please take all medications as prescribed, included decongestants as necessary.
- It is important to keep your mouth clean after surgery to reduce the risk of infection and promote rapid healing. Start salt water rinses (one-half teaspoon of salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of water) the evening of surgery or the day following your procedure after each meal or four to five times daily.
- Brush your teeth gently with a soft manual toothbrush on the evening of your surgery or the first day following your procedure and continue brushing at least twice a day.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Eat soft foods for the first several days after surgery. Advance to a regular diet as you become more comfortable. Please avoid chewing or creating pressure on the bone graft site. Please avoid drinking alcoholic beverages or smoking during the first one to two weeks following your surgery.
- All removable appliances, including partial dentures, flippers, and full dentures, must be checked for proper fit before they can be worn.
- Swelling and bruising may occur. Applying a cold compress to the face near the surgical site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed.
- If you experience severe or persistent sinus or nasal congestion please let us know.
- Immediately following surgery, maintain pressure on the surgical area by biting down on the provided gauze pad or roll until the bleeding stops. A certain amount of bleeding is to be expected following a surgical procedure. Placing the gauze pad over the area and biting firmly will help prevent excessive bleeding. Replace the gauze as necessary until the bleeding stops.
- Children should be supervised after having an extraction to make sure they do not bite or chew their tongue or lips as this can cause serious injury to the soft tissue.
- Please fill any prescriptions you have been given and take as directed. If you have been prescribed pain medication other than aspirin, Tylenol or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin), do not drive, operate heavy equipment, work around machinery or tools, or engage in any other activity that may be unsafe when groggy, as your reflexes and judgment will be affected by the medication.
- Antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent infection. If you have been placed on antibiotics, take the medicine as directed.
- Swelling around the face, eyes, and surgical site is not uncommon although it may not appear until the day following the surgery and may become more noticeable two to three days following surgery. Applying a cold compress to the face near the extraction site will help minimize swelling. If using an ice pack, please do not apply ice directly to your skin but place a cloth between the ice and your skin at all times. You may apply the cold compress for up to 20 minutes on and at least 20 minutes off as needed. After 36 hours the cold compress will have no further impact on swelling. After this period, the application of moist heat to the sides of the face can help reduce swelling.
- For 24 hours following your surgery, do not brush, rinse, spit, or smoke. Avoid hot and spicy foods as well as carbonated and alcoholic beverages.
- Avoid use of straws for one week.
- Restrict your activities on the day of your surgery. Avoid excessive work or play, and resume normal activity the following day as tolerated.
- After the first day, gently rinse with a warm salt water rinse, approximately one-half teaspoon of salt in an eight ounce glass of water, three times a day.
- During the first few days after surgery restrict your diet to liquids and soft foods such as soups, yogurt, juice, and smoothies.
- Sutures may have been placed. Most sutures placed by our office will dissolve on their own in 7-10 days, and it may not be necessary to return to the office for sutures to be removed. If you have sutures that do need a follow-up visit for removal, we will let you know at the time they are placed.
- Please call our office if you experience severe pain, excessive bleeding or swelling, or if you have any questions or concerns. In the event of an emergency please call our office. If you are experiencing a serious or life threatening emergency, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room.