You should not experience any problems of a severe nature following your extraction today, but the following information will help to answer any questions you may have.

 

Strenuous exercise is best avoided for the rest of the day.

 

Do not rinse your mouth out for 24 hours after the tooth has been removed.  This allows a clot to form which is a vital part of the healing process. You may have a drink, but don’t vigorously rinse. After this time, rinse with warm salty water (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water) to promote healing. This can be done after eating, or as often as you wish during this phase of healing.

 

Avoid hot drinks, alcohol, smokinq, hard or chewy foods for the rest of the day. Choose cool drinks and minced or soft food.

 

Do not chew with the teeth near the extraction site for the rest of the day. Chew on the other side of your mouth if possible.

 

It is best to keep your head elevated for 24 hours or so after an extraction. To achieve this, you should give yourself an extra pillow at bedtime. You may also find it useful to lay a towel over the pillow, just in case there is any minor bleeding during the night.

 

You will have some blood in your saliva. This is normal. If you are concerned about the amount of bleeding, or if you start to spit out large amounts of dark clotted blood, sit down (don’t lie flat) and place a gauze pressure pack over the wound. Hold this in place with firm biting pressure for about 15 minutes. If this is not successful, try it a second time.  If it is still not successful, please give us a call.

 

You should have very little or no pain following this procedure. If you experience any pain at all, a mild analgesic such as paracetamol (“Panadol”) or ibuprofen (“Nurofen” or ‘Act 3”) should adequately control it if used as directed. Ongoing or delayed-onset pain is often a sign of infection. Please call us - this can usually be treated very effectively by a quick, simple procedure.