Find important information for before and after your oral surgery in this section. Click to learn more about how to prepare and recover.
Please follow these instructions before intravenous (IV) sedation or general anesthesia.
A minimum $250 cancellation fee will be applied if: you do not show for surgery without notice; surgery is cancelled with less than one week's notice (unless for a medical reason, with a physician's note required); pre-surgery instructions were not followed and led to cancellation, for example not having an empty stomach when instructed; or there is any suspected impairment on the day of surgery.
After the placement of dental implants, do not disturb the wound. Avoid rinsing, spitting, or touching the wound on the day of surgery. There may be a metal healing abutment protruding through the gum tissue, which will be confirmed with you after surgery.
Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding can be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes. Biting on a moist black tea bag (not green tea) is also effective. If bleeding continues, call for further instructions.
Swelling is normal after surgery. To minimize it, avoid lying down completely (keep your head up a few inches) and apply an ice bag to the cheek over the surgical area. Apply ice continuously, as much as possible, for the first 48 hours.
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid hot liquids or food. Eat soft food and liquids on the day of surgery, and return to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.
Begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate pain, one Motrin 600 mg tablet may be taken every 6 hours, or one to two Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol every 3 to 4 hours. For severe pain, take the prescribed medication as directed. Do not take any medication you are allergic to or have been told not to take.
If you were given an antibiotic, take it as directed to help prevent infection.
Good oral hygiene is essential to healing. The night of surgery, use the prescribed Chlorhexidine/Peridex oral rinse before bed. The day after surgery, use Peridex three times daily after breakfast, after dinner, and before bed, rinsing for at least 30 seconds. Warm salt-water rinses (a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) should be used at least 4 to 5 times a day, especially after meals. Brushing your teeth and the healing abutments is fine; be gentle initially around the surgical areas.
Keep physical activity to a minimum immediately after surgery. Exercise may cause throbbing or bleeding; if this happens, stop. Because you are likely not taking normal nourishment, you may feel weaker than usual.
Partial dentures, flippers, and full dentures should not be used immediately after surgery. This will be discussed in more detail individually after the procedure.
The removal of impacted teeth is a serious surgical procedure, and post-operative care is very important. Following these instructions carefully will minimize unnecessary pain and the complications of infection and swelling.
Keep the gauze pad over the surgical area for half an hour, then remove and discard it. Avoid vigorous rinsing or touching the wound, which can dislodge the blood clot and restart bleeding. Take prescribed pain medication as soon as you begin to feel discomfort. Restrict your activities the day of surgery and resume normal activity when comfortable. Apply ice packs to the sides of the face as described below.
Slight bleeding, oozing, or redness in the saliva is not uncommon for 3 to 4 days. Remove your gauze when eating, and remove it before going to bed. Excessive bleeding can be controlled by first wiping any old clots from your mouth, then biting firmly on a gauze pad for 30 minutes; repeat if necessary. If bleeding continues, bite on a moistened black tea bag for 45 to 60 minutes, as the tannic acid helps form a clot. To reduce bleeding, stay calm, sit upright, and avoid exercise. If bleeding does not subside, call for instructions.
Swelling around the mouth, cheeks, eyes, and sides of the face is normal and proportional to the surgery. It usually appears the day after surgery, peaks at 2 to 3 days, and can last up to a week. Apply an ice pack to the sides of the face, alternating 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off, for the first 48 hours. After 48 hours, moist heat applied to the face helps reduce swelling. Normal jaw movement may take 2 to 3 weeks to return.
For moderate pain, one Motrin (ibuprofen or Advil) 600 mg tablet every 6 hours, or one to two Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol every 3 to 4 hours. For severe pain, take the prescribed medication (such as Tylenol #3) as directed; it can cause drowsiness, so do not drive or operate machinery, and avoid alcohol. Pain should subside more each day; if it persists, call the office. Take pain medication with food or fluids to avoid nausea.
After general anesthetic or IV sedation, start with liquids taken from a glass. Do not use straws for 6 to 7 days, as the sucking motion can dislodge the clot. Eat soft, cool foods such as ice cream, applesauce, pudding, jello, yogurt, and scrambled eggs, chewing away from the surgical sites. High-calorie, high-protein nourishment is important; take at least 5 to 6 glasses of liquid daily and try not to miss a meal. Rise slowly from lying down to avoid dizziness.
Do not rinse until the day after surgery. After that, gently brush your teeth and rinse with Chlorhexidine or warm salt water (half to one teaspoon of salt in a large glass of warm water) three times daily after breakfast, after dinner, and before bed. Do not spit when brushing or rinsing. For lower wisdom teeth, 7 days after surgery you may begin using the curved-tip syringe to gently flush food and debris from the lower sockets with warm salt water, once nightly for one week only.
Skin discoloration (black, blue, green, or yellow) sometimes follows swelling as blood spreads beneath the tissues. This is normal, may appear 2 to 3 days after surgery, and disappears in 7 to 10 days. Moist heat may speed its removal.
If you were placed on antibiotics, take them as directed to help prevent infection. Discontinue use if a rash or other unfavorable reaction occurs, and call the office with any questions.
If nausea or vomiting occurs, take nothing by mouth for at least an hour, including prescribed medicine. Then sip slowly on cola, tea, or ginger ale over a 15-minute period. A small dose of Gravol (25 to 50 mg, available over the counter) can also help. Once nausea subsides, resume solid foods and prescribed medicine.
Numbness of the lip, chin, or tongue is usually temporary, so be careful not to bite numb areas. A slight elevation in temperature is not uncommon; if it persists, notify the office and take Tylenol or ibuprofen. Rise slowly to avoid light-headedness. You may feel hard bony projections with your tongue (the walls that supported the tooth); these usually smooth out on their own or can be removed by Dr. Bureau. Keep cracked lip corners moist with an ointment such as Vaseline. Sore throat, painful swallowing, and jaw stiffness (trismus) are common and resolve in a few days.
Dissolving sutures are placed to minimize bleeding and aid healing, and dissolve in 1 to 10 days; if one becomes dislodged, simply remove and discard it. Pain and swelling should subside each day; if they worsen or unusual symptoms occur, call the office. The socket will gradually fill in with new tissue over 6 to 8 weeks; keep the area clean with salt-water rinses. Do not rely on well-intended advice from friends; discuss any concerns with Dr. Bureau or your family dentist. A dry socket, where the clot is dislodged prematurely, can cause pain at the site and ear 2 to 3 days after surgery; call the office if this occurs. Do not smoke during the healing period (2 to 4 weeks), as it irritates tissue and increases the risk of infection, delayed healing, and dry socket. If you are admitted to a hospital within 10 days of surgery, please contact the office.
After exposure of an impacted tooth, do not disturb the wound. If surgical packing was placed, leave it alone, as it helps keep the tooth exposed. If it becomes dislodged or falls out, do not be alarmed.
Some bleeding or redness in the saliva is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding can usually be controlled by biting with pressure on a gauze pad placed directly on the wound for 30 minutes. If bleeding continues, call for further instructions.
Swelling is normal after surgery. To minimize it, apply an ice bag to the cheek over the surgical area, 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off, for the first 36 hours.
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid hot liquids or food. Eat soft food and liquids on the day of surgery, returning to a normal diet as soon as possible unless otherwise directed.
Begin taking the prescribed pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. For moderate pain, one Motrin (Advil or ibuprofen) 600 mg tablet every 6 hours, or one to two Tylenol or Extra Strength Tylenol every 3 to 4 hours. For severe pain, take the prescribed medication as directed.
Mouth cleanliness is essential to good healing. Clean your mouth thoroughly after each meal beginning the day after surgery, brushing as best you can, and rinse with warm salt water (half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) three times a day until healing is complete. A clean wound heals better and faster.
Keep physical activity to a minimum immediately after surgery. Exercise may cause throbbing or bleeding; if this happens, stop. Because your nourishment intake is reduced, you may feel weaker than usual.
After a tooth extraction, a blood clot must form to stop the bleeding and begin healing, so bite on the gauze pad for 30 to 45 minutes after your appointment. If bleeding or oozing persists, place a fresh gauze pad and bite firmly for another 30 minutes; you may need to repeat this several times.
Once the clot forms, do not disturb or dislodge it. Do not rinse vigorously, suck on straws, smoke, or drink alcohol for 72 hours, as these dislodge the clot and delay healing. Limit vigorous exercise for 24 hours, since raised blood pressure can cause more bleeding.
You may feel some pain and swelling. An ice pack, or an unopened bag of frozen peas or corn, applied to the area keeps swelling to a minimum; swelling usually subsides after 48 hours. Take pain medication as prescribed, and call the office if it does not seem to work. If antibiotics are prescribed, finish the full course even if symptoms are gone. Drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious soft food on the day of extraction, returning to normal eating when comfortable.
Resume your normal dental routine after 24 hours, including brushing and flossing at least once a day, to speed healing and keep your mouth fresh. After a few days you should feel fine. If you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, continued swelling for 2 to 3 days, or a reaction to the medication, call our office immediately at 403-286-2551.
During a biopsy, a small piece of tissue is removed from the mouth and sent to a laboratory for examination under a microscope. An area may be removed completely (excisional biopsy) or in part to aid diagnosis if the lesion is large (incisional biopsy); with an incisional biopsy, the entire lesion may later be removed based on the diagnosis. Most biopsies are done under local anesthesia, and stitches are usually placed that dissolve within about two weeks.
When the local anesthetic wears off, little or no discomfort is expected, and simple painkillers are appropriate. Minimal bleeding is normal and usually stops quickly. If bleeding starts at home, apply pressure using the gauze provided or a rolled-up handkerchief; if it persists, call the office.
Avoid vigorous rinsing on the day of surgery, as it can cause bleeding. Clean your mouth as usual, including the teeth around the surgical site, but be careful not to bite numb areas. If food catches around the stitches, gently rinse with mouthwash or warm salt water (a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) beginning the day after surgery.
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