InstructionsPost-Operative Instructions for Oral Surger

For the remainder of the day:

1. Do not spit, rinse your mouth, or brush your teeth.
2. Swallow your saliva; do not let saliva pool in your mouth.
3. Do not drink through a straw.
4. Do not smoke for at least 24 hours.
5. You must remain on a soft food diet. You may eat about an hour after surgery. You cannot eat anything hot or hard today.
6. With clean hands, you may change your gauze every 30 minutes. If the gauze pads are saturated with blood, place a few clean pieces of gauze at the surgical site, making sure that you’re swallowing your saliva and following the rest of the post-operative instructions. If you see that the gauze is light pink or light red in color, and no longer saturated with blood, you do not have to place new gauze in the area.
7. You should place an ice pack/cold compress (or anything you have in your freezer) on the outside of your face. Hold the ice pack for 20 minutes and rest for 20 minutes. Ice packs are most helpful the first few hours after surgery, to help prevent or reduce swelling, but can be used for 24 hours following surgery.
8. If you wish to lie down after surgery, keep your head elevated with pillows.

Don’t forget to pick up your prescriptions! You should begin your antibiotics the same day of surgery. Antibiotics should be taken with food. You can take your prescribed pain medication as needed. If you are not in pain, you don’t need to take it. If you were prescribed on oral rinse, you should begin using it the day after surgery, unless otherwise specified.

You should begin salt water rinses the day after surgery. Mix a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt.

Rinse your mouth with the mixture after every meal (or more often if you’d like) for at least one week. After surgery, the height of your pain and swelling will most likely occur on the third day following the procedure, after which, the pain and swelling may decrease or remain about the same for the next few days. Pain and swelling will generally resolve in about 2 weeks.

Unless otherwise specified, your stitches are dissolvable and will go away on their own within 2 weeks. You do not need to come back unless specifically instructed to.

If you’ve read these instructions and still have any questions or concerns, you can always call us

Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm or Saturday 8:30am – 3:30pm!