What to Expect Impacted Teeth After Your Oral Surgery Swelling Removing impacted teeth is very different from Patient Education extracting erupted teeth. If you had an impacted Some swelling is normal after oral surgery. For Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery tooth removed, you will likely have these symp- most people, it increases for 2 or 3 days and School of Dentistry toms for a short time: then starts to go down after that. If your swelling and pain increase after 3 days, call the  Difficulty opening your mouth Thank you for coming to the clinic for an appointment. School of Dentistry for your oral surgery.  Pain while swallowing Your treatment will continue until your Discomfort  Earache on the side of you surgery healing is complete. If you have any You will have the most discomfort when feel- questions or concerns, please call ing starts to return to your mouth. If the impacted tooth was in your lower jaw, you

may have numbness in your lower lip or tongue ______Bleeding on the side where the tooth was removed. This (your student dentist or surgeon) You can expect to have bleeding or “oozing” numbness should go away, but it may last from a for the first 12 to 24 hours after surgery. few days to many months.

at ______What NOT to Do You may also have sores on you lips after sur- They will arrange for emergency gery. Use petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on your lips treatment, if needed. For all dental surgery patients: until they heal. If you cannot reach your student dentist or  Do not apply heat to your face, unless your sur- surgeon, call (206) 744-3000 and ask for the geon told you to do so. Heat can increase swell- Oral Surgery Resident on call to be paged. ing. Questions?

 Do not use straws, suck on anything, or smoke. Oral Surgery Clinic: (206) 543-5860 If you need to be seen in the Emergency

These actions cause negative pressure in your M-Th: 8:15 am to 4:45 pm Room, you will be billed separately. mouth, which can dislodge the blood clot that Fri: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm is keeping your wound closed, causing more bleeding, and delay your healing. After hours, weekends and holidays, call Harborview Medical Center at Your Follow-Up Visit (206) 744-3000 and ask for the Oral Surgery If you have been told to follow sinus precautions: Resident on call to be paged. Oral surgery patients are usually seen about one week after surgery  Do not blow your nose. Wipe instead. to check on their healing and  If you need to sneeze, do so with your mouth remove any loose sutures.

open. Your follow-up visit is on:

 Do not use straws 1959 N.E. Pacific St. Seattle, WA 98195 Day, date:______ No smoking. RM B-350, HSB Box 357134 P: (206) 543-5860 F: (206) 685-7222 Time: ______Self-care to Speed Your Recovery

Bleeding  The dose for pain medicine is usually 400 mg to 800 mg ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or  You may also have some bruises on your face. Bite on the sponges that were placed in your This is a normal part of the healing process. generic) every 6 hours. If you have an allergy mouth at the end of surgery for at least 1 or sensitivity to ibuprofen, or have been told hour, and up to 2 or 3 hours. not to use it, you may take up to 1,000 mg Activity If you have a lot of bleeding: acetaminophen (Tylenol or generic) every 6

hours.  Use gauze to remove all excess blood  We suggest you relax and limit your activity for clots from your mouth the rest of the day after surgery.  Follow the pain medicine instructions your doctor gave you. If we believe you may have  Place a clean, damp gauze pad over the  You may resume light activities the day after more severe pain, we will prescribe a bleeding area only. your surgery if you feel up to it. stronger pain medicine which you will need

to buy at a pharmacy.  Press on the gauze firmly for 20 mins so Diet that no blood escapes. Repeat if  For 2 days after surgery, drink liquids and eat Mouth Rinse and Teeth Care needed. soft foods only. Such as milkshakes, eggnog, yo-  Do not rinse your mouth for 24 hours after  Call the clinic or oral surgery resident on gurt, cooked cereals, cottage cheese, smooth your surgery. call if the bleeding does not stop. soups, mashed potatoes, refried beans, ice cream, pudding, fruit smoothies and protein  After 24 hours, rinse your mouth with warm Swelling and Bruising shakes. salt water after meals. Stir 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon salt into 8 ounces of warm water.  To reduce swelling, sit with your head up.  On day 3 after surgery, eat soft foods that do not Rinsing with salt water will help speed Move around as little as you can for 8 to 12 require much chewing, such as macaroni and healing. Your doctor may prescribe Peridex hours after your surgery. cheese, cooked noodles, soft-boiled /scrambled/ for rinsing.

poached eggs and soft sandwiches. Avoid tough  To help lessen swelling, start using ice or cold or crunchy foods, such as pizza, rice, popcorn,  You may brush your teeth if you are careful to packs right after your surgery: and hamburger. Avoid spicy and acidic foods. avoid your wounds.

Most patients may resume their normal diet 7  Apply the pack to the side of your days after surgery. Removable Dental Devices After Implant face, over the surgery site. Surgery

Medicines  If you usually wear a removable dental device  Hold the pack on your face for 15 that replaces missing teeth and rests on the mins, then remove it for 15 mins.  Medicines to control pain and prevent infection surgery area, check with your surgeon or Repeat. will be prescribed for you. It is very important regular dentist before starting to wear it that you take all medicines as directed. again after surgery. It is important not to put  If both sides of your mouth were oper- any pressure on the surgery site. ated on, apply the pack first to one  Start taking your pain medicine before the local

side of you face, and then to the other anesthetic you received before surgery wears  If your bite feels different when you start side. (15 mins/side) off. Continue to take it as prescribed. wearing the device again, or if you had a

dental implant and it feels like the device is  Do this as often as you can for the rest hitting the implant, call your doctor. of the day after surgery. After that, the ice or cold pack will not be helpful in reducing swelling.