At Southern Oral & Facial Surgery, we want you to feel prepared and informed throughout every step of your treatment. Our team provides instructions to follow both before and after treatment to expedite healing and help you feel more comfortable about your procedure. We’d like to stress the importance of adhering to these guidelines. Your safety and comfort are our top priority, so whether you are coming in for a simple extraction or a more complex procedure, it’s crucial you follow the directions provided. If you have reviewed your instructions and still have questions or concerns regarding your care, we are more than happy to speak with you and help you better understand.

Before Your Surgery

Pre-Operative Instructions

Read and follow these instructions prior to coming to our office for your surgical visit, especially if you are undergoing nitrous oxide, IV sedation, or general anesthesia.

After Your Surgery

Post-Operative Instructions

After your surgery, read and follow these instructions closely. They will help you maintain good oral hygiene and expedite your recovery.

Pre-Operative Instructions: Before Intravenous Anesthesia

  • Do not have anything to eat or drink (including water) at least 8 hours prior to your scheduled surgery time.
  • You may take your routine medications and/or premedication (with just a small sip of water) that are approved by the doctor.
  • Clean your teeth and mouth before surgery.
  • Please wear loose, comfortable clothing on the day of surgery.
  • Do have a responsible adult accompany you to drive you home. They should not leave the office during surgery. It is not acceptable for someone to drop you off and pick you up.
  • Minors must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or another responsible adult.
  • Plan ahead. Be prepared by having liquids and/or soft foods to eat at home during recovery.
  • Should it become necessary to cancel/change your surgery date, notify our office at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, a cancellation fee of $50.00 will be assessed and added to your account balance.

Home Care Instructions: Extractions

Sometimes the after-effects of oral surgery are quite minimal, so not all of the instructions may apply. Common sense will often dictate what you should do. However, when in doubt, follow these guidelines or call our office for clarification. Our number is (615) 591-0919.

Day of Surgery

FIRST HOUR: Bite down gently but firmly on the gauze packs that have been placed over the surgical areas, making sure they remain in place. Do not change them for the first hour unless the bleeding is not controlled. The packs may be gently removed after one hour. If active bleeding persists, place enough new gauze to obtain pressure over the surgical site for another 30 minutes. The gauze may then be changed as necessary (typically every 30–45 minutes). It is best to moisten the gauze with tap water and loosely fluff for more comfortable positioning.

EXERCISE CARE: Do not disturb the surgical area today. Do NOT rinse vigorously or probe the area with any objects. You may brush your teeth gently. PLEASE DO NOT SMOKE for at least 48 hours, since this is very detrimental to healing and may cause dry socket.

OOZING: Intermittent bleeding or oozing overnight is normal. Bleeding may be controlled by placing fresh gauze over the areas and biting on the gauze for 30–45 minutes at a time.

PERSISTENT BLEEDING: Bleeding should never be severe. If so, it usually means that the packs are being clenched between the teeth only and are not exerting pressure on the surgical areas. Try repositioning the packs. If bleeding persists or becomes heavy, you may substitute a tea bag (soaked in very hot water, squeezed damp-dry and wrapped in moist gauze) for 20–30 minutes. If bleeding remains uncontrolled, please call our office.

SWELLING: Swelling is often associated with oral surgery. It can be minimized by using a cold pack, ice bag, or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel and applied firmly to the cheek adjacent to the surgical area. This should be applied 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off during the first 24–36 hours after surgery. If you have been prescribed medicine for the control of swelling, be sure to take it as directed.

PAIN: Unfortunately, most oral surgery is accompanied by some degree of discomfort. You will usually have a prescription for pain medication. If you take the first pill before the anesthetic has worn off, you should be able to manage any discomfort better. Some patients find that stronger pain medicine causes nausea, but if you precede each pain pill with a small amount of food, chances for nausea will be reduced. The effects of pain medications vary widely among individuals.

If you do not achieve adequate relief at first, you may supplement each pain pill with an analgesic such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Some patients may even require two of the pain pills at one time. Remember that the most severe pain is usually within 6 hours after the local anesthetic wears off; after that, your need for medicine should lessen.

If you find you are taking large amounts of pain medicine at frequent intervals, please call our office. If you anticipate needing more prescription medication for the weekend, you must call for a refill during weekday business hours.

NAUSEA: Nausea is not uncommon after surgery. Sometimes pain medications are the cause. Nausea can be reduced by preceding each pain pill with a small amount of soft food and taking the pill with a large volume of water. Try to keep taking clear fluids and minimize dosing of pain medications, but call us if you do not feel better. Classic Coca-Cola may help with nausea.

DIET: Eat any nourishing food that can be taken with comfort. Avoid extremely hot foods, acidic foods, and carbonated beverages. Do not use a straw for the first few days after surgery. It is sometimes advisable, but not absolutely required, to confine the first day’s intake to liquids or pureed foods (soups, puddings, yogurt, milkshakes, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, etc.). It is best to avoid foods like nuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn, chips, etc., which may get lodged in the socket areas. Over the next several days, you may gradually progress to solid foods. It is important not to skip meals! If you take nourishment regularly, you will feel better, gain strength, have less discomfort, and heal faster. If you are diabetic, maintain your normal eating habits or follow instructions given by your doctor.

SHARP EDGES: If you feel something hard or sharp edges in the surgical areas, it is likely you are feeling the bony walls that once supported the extracted teeth. Occasionally, small slivers of bone may work themselves out during the following week or so. If they cause concern or discomfort, please call the office.

Instructions for the Second and Third Days

MOUTH RINSES: Keeping your mouth clean after surgery is essential. Use 1/4 teaspoon of salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water and gently rinse with portions of the solution, taking 5 minutes to use the entire glassful. Repeat as often as you like, but at least 2 or 3 times daily.

BRUSHING: Begin your normal oral hygiene routine as soon as possible after surgery. Soreness and swelling may not permit vigorous brushing, but please make every effort to clean your teeth within the bounds of comfort. Avoid any alcohol-based mouth rinses (e.g., Listerine®, Scope, etc.) for the first few days.

HOT APPLICATIONS: You may apply warm compresses (e.g., hot water bottle, hot moist towels, heating pad) after 36 hours following surgery to the skin over the areas of swelling for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off to help soothe tender areas. This will also help decrease swelling and stiffness.

HEALING: Normal healing after tooth extraction should be as follows: The first 3 days of surgery are generally the most uncomfortable and there is usually some swelling. On the fourth day, you should be more comfortable and, although still swollen, can usually begin a more substantial diet. The remainder of the home care 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 5 days. Then use it daily according to the instructions until you are certain the tooth socket has closed completely and that there is no chance of any food particles lodging in the socket.

It is our desire that your recovery be as smooth and pleasant as possible. Following these instructions will assist you, but if you have questions about your progress, please call the office where you had surgery. If you call after business hours, please listen to the message, and it will leave you a phone number at which you may reach Dr. Clark in the event of an emergency. Calling during office hours will afford a faster response to your question or concern. PLEASE NOTE: telephone calls for narcotic (painkiller) prescription renewals are ONLY accepted during office hours.

Home Care Instructions: Dental Implants

Please read this important information regarding proper post-surgical care for dental implants. It is important that you follow the instructions listed below carefully to maximize your healing and improve the long-term outcome of your dental implant(s).

Do NOT disturb the wound. Avoid touching the wound or spitting after surgery. There may be a metal healing abutment slightly protruding through the gum tissue.

Some bleeding or redness is normal for 24 hours. Excessive bleeding (your mouth fills up rapidly with blood) can be controlled by biting on a gauze pad placed directly on the bleeding wound for 30 minutes. If excessive bleeding continues, please call the office for further instructions.

Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. To minimize swelling, apply an ice pack on the cheek in the area of surgery. Apply the ice 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off for the first 36 hours.

Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid hot liquids and foods. Soft foods and liquids can be consumed on the day of surgery. You may return to a normal diet 1–2 days after surgery unless otherwise directed.

Warm salt water rinses can be made by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water and should be used 4–5 times a day, especially after meals.

Brushing your teeth around the healing abutment(s) is not a problem. Initially, be gentle when brushing the surgical areas.

Keep physical activity and exercise to a minimum after surgery. Avoid bending over or heavy lifting. Keep in mind that you probably aren’t taking in normal nourishment. This may weaken you and further limit your ability to exercise. You may resume normal daily routine and activity within 48 hours if you feel comfortable doing so.

Do NOT smoke for at least 1 week after surgery. Smoking is detrimental to the healing bone and tissues. Doing so will affect the results of surgery.

If you have an interim abutment (temporary screw-retained crown) seated at the time of your implant placement, please refrain from chewing hard or crunchy foods. The constant force on the temporary can delay the healing of bone around the implant.