After Tooth/Wisdom Tooth Removal

After Tooth/Wisdom Tooth Removal

You have had one or more teeth extracted either as an isolated procedure or as part of your surgery. Patients’ experiences with extractions vary significantly depending on a variety of factors. Level of difficulty, age, dental experience, and prior surgical experience are just some of the many factors that contribute to the recovery burden. Extractions are the single most common surgical procedure accomplished in our office. As such we have many years of experience to rely on as it relates to making your surgery and recovery as easy as possible.

You have been provided an instruction sheet “Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Surgery” which covers many of the expected difficulties and recommended actions. Obviously this information does not cover every possibility. Please call us with any questions.

The following instructions are fairly specific to dental extractions:

Oozing:

Because most dental extractions result in a void in the bone and an open wound, oozing from the site is expected. This is best managed by direct pressure with gauze dressings. It is very important that firm direct pressure is maintained over the area of extraction. The easiest error to make is to place the gauze between the teeth rather than directly over the extraction sites. Firm pressure should be maintained for 20-30 minutes without disturbing the packs. At this point the packs should be removed and replaced if necessary. It is normal for extraction sites to ooze slightly for several hours after extractions. The amount of oozing should decrease over time. If the packs are not effective controlling the oozing you may substitute the gauze for a tea bag (black tea). This can be moistened with water and placed directly over the site just as you would the gauze.

Sutures:

Very commonly dissolving sutures are used to close wounds inside the mouth. These will feel like threads or fibers to the tongue. Try not to disturb them. They will fall out in 3-7 days.

Swallowing: Many patients complain of difficulty swallowing after surgery. This is related to the local anesthesia (numbing medicine) that is used at the time of surgery to eliminate pain. Many times we use long-acting numbing medicine to minimize pain post-operatively. Patients with this numbness can swallow, they just can’t feel that they are swallowing effectively. Generally, reassurance and time is all that is necessary to solve swallowing issues.

Pain:

Please see the description on your “Post-Operative Instructions for Oral Surgery” sheet. If you feel that your pain is not well-controlled, please call us. We may need to change your prescription or provide other suggestions that may help.

Sharp Edges:

Many times dental extractions leave bony irregularities in the area of tooth removal. This is normal. It is also not unusual for a small splinter(s) of bone to present at the edges of the sites either within a few days or few weeks after surgery. These generally loosen and fall out or are easily removed at your post-operative visit.

Healing:

Normal healing after tooth extraction should be as follows: The first two days after surgery are generally the most uncomfortable and there is usually some swelling. On the third day you should be more comfortable and, although still swollen, can usually begin a more substantial diet. The remainder of the post-operative course should be gradual, steady improvement. If you don’t see continued improvement, please call our office. If you are given a plastic irrigating syringe, DO NOT use it for the first five days. After that time has elapsed, use it daily as instructed until you are certain the tooth socket has closed completely and that there is no chance of any food particles lodging in the socket.

Numbness:

Since we may have used long acting local anesthesia (numbing medicine) to minimize discomfort on the day of surgery, it is normal to have some degree of numbness for up to 10 hours after surgery. Beyond this time interval numbness can be due to other factors such as swelling, etc. Persistent numbness, while unusual, is possible and should be reported to us at your follow-up visit if not before.