Aftercare

---

Bite firmly and steadily on the gauze until you get home.  Constant pressure helps stop bleeding, so avoid talking, chewing on the gauze, or moving it.  

When home, remove the gauze and check in the mirror to see if there is continued bleeding.  If the wound just looks red but there's no active bleeding, then there's no need to replace the gauze.  If there is still actual bleeding, then fold up some more clean gauze and bite firmly and steadily on it for another half hour.  Repeat as necessary.  Instead of gauze, biting on a tea bag may stop bleeding even better, because the tannin in tea promotes clotting.  Also, stop taking baby Aspirin for a few days until there's no more bleeding.  

For 2-3 days after extraction, avoid any actions that may promote bleeding, eg spitting, vigorous rinsing, exercise, physical labour, drinking hot liquids, drinking through a straw, drinking alcohol, smoking, lying flat, touching or brushing the area, and eating on the side of the extraction. Go on a soft diet (eg juice, smoothies, soup, noodles, yogurt, eggs, mashed potato, congee), but don't avoid eating altogether....your body needs energy and nourishment to heal.  After meals, gentle rinses with salt water or chlorhexidine are helpful to keep the extraction site(s) clean.  But don't use mouthwashes eg Listerine or Scope as they may irritate the surgery site.

To reduce swelling, place an ice pack as soon as possible on the side of the face where the extraction occurred, 15 minutes on/15 minutes off, for no more than 24 hours after surgery. (Prolonged icing will have the opposite effect of increasing swelling.)  It is normal for swelling to persist for up to a week after wisdom teeth surgery.  

Take all prescribed medications as directed.  Try to time the last daily dose of pain medication for just before bed, thus allowing for a good night's sleep.  (Sleep is when the body heals itself.)  Elevating the head with 2-3 pillows while sleeping will help reduce both bleeding and swelling.

Bruises on the face and jaw tightness are also common after wisdom teeth extractions; they usually resolve after a week.

Some residual bleeding or redness in the saliva for a couple of days after extraction is quite normal.  If bleeding continues beyond a couple of days, or there are other concerns (eg severe pain, bad taste or odour, fever, etc.), please call the office for advice.

After a root canal, it is normal for the tooth to be sore to touch for a week or so.  Avoid biting on it and take Advil extra-strength if necessary.  If the bite sensitivity persists or becomes worse after 2 weeks, call to make an appointment to adjust the bite.  After a month, the tooth should be totally pain-free, at which time a crown should be made to protect it.  Root canal teeth are weak and prone to fracture, which risks extraction if the fracture is not fixable. Therefore, molars with root canals should always be crowned because they do all the heavy duty chewing, so have higher risk of fracture.