• Pre-Operative Instructions (Oral Surgery)
• Post-Operative Instructions (Oral Surgery)
• Instructions for the Second and Third Days

          If you are being sedated or put sleep, you can not have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before your surgery. You may take a sip of water with the prescribed medication given to you at your first visit. Make sure any other medications you are taking, were previously discussed with Dr. Vinci.

          Someone must accompany you to our office on the day of surgery. Please make sure this person knows they must be here the entire time you are here. This person will also be responsible for driving you to and from our office.

          If you smoke, please try to refrain from smoking 12 hours before the 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 being controlled. If active bleeding persists after one hour, place enough gauze to obtain pressure over the surgical site for another 30- 60 minutes. The gauze may be changed as necessary and may be dampened and/or fluffed for more comfortable positioning. If the surgical site is no longer bleeding after one hour the gauze can be left out.

Exercise Care
          Do not disturb the surgical area today. Do NOT rinse vigorously or probe the area with any objects or you fingers. You may brush you teeth gently. DO NOT SMOKE for at least 48 hours, since it is very detrimental to healing.

Oozing
          Intermittent bleeding or oozing is normal and may persist for 12 to 24 hours. It may be controlled by placing fresh gauze over the surgical areas and biting down firmly for 30-60 minutes.

Bleeding
          Bleeding should never be severe. If it is, it usually means that the packs are being clenched between your teeth rather than exerting pressure on the surgical areas. Try repositioning fresh packs. If bleeding persists or becomes heavy you may substitute a tea bag (soaked in hot water, squeezed damp-dry and wrapped in a moist gauze) for 20-30 minutes. If bleeding remains uncontrolled, please call our office.

Swelling
          Often there is some swelling associated with oral surgery. You can minimize this by using a cold pack or an ice bag wrapped in a towel and applied firmly to face or cheek adjacent to the surgical area. This should be applied for twenty minutes on and twenty minutes off during the first 12 to 36 hours after surgery. After 36 hours, it is usually best to moist heat to the same areas. Swelling will most likely peak 48 hours after surgery.

Pain
          Unfortunately most oral surgery is accompanied by some degree of discomfort. You will usually have a prescription for pain medication, and if you take the first pill before the anesthesia has worn off, you will be able to manage any discomfort better. Effects of pain medicines vary widely among individuals. Some people may even require two of the pain pills at one time during early stages (but that may add to the risk of upset stomach). Remember that the most sever discomfort is usually within the first six hours after anesthetic wears off; after that your need for medicine should lessen.

Nausea
          Nausea is not an uncommon event after surgery, and it is sometimes caused by stronger pain medicines. Nausea may be reduced by preceding each pill with a small amount of soft food, then taking the pill with a large volume of water. Try to keep taking clear fluids and minimize the pain medication, but call us if you do not feel better or if repeated vomiting is a problem. Cola drinks that have carbonation may help with nausea.

Diet
          Eat any nourishing food that can be taken with comfort. Temperature of the food doesn't matter, but avoid extremely hot foods. It is sometimes advisable, but not required, to confine the first day's intake to bland liquids pureed foods (creamed soups, puddings, yogurt, milkshakes, etc.). Avoid foods like nuts, sunflower seeds, popcorn, etc., that may get lodged in the socket areas. Over the next several days you can progress to solid foods at your own pace. 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 as much as possible and follow instructions from us or your physician regarding your insulin schedule.

Sharp Edges
          If you feel sharp edges in the surgical areas with your tongue it is probably the bony walls which supported the teeth or sutures. Occasionally small slivers of bone may work themselves out during the first week or two after surgery. They are not pieces of tooth and, if necessary, we will remove them. Please call the office if you are concerned

Mouth Rinses
         Keeping your mouth clean after surgery is essential. Use one-quarter teaspoon of salt dissolved in an 8-ounce glass of warm water and gently rinse with portions of the solution, taking five minutes to use the entire glassful. Repeat as often as you like, but at least two to three times a day for the next five days.

Brushing
          Begin your normal oral hygiene routine as soon as possible after surgery. Soreness and swelling may not permit vigorous brushing of all areas, but please make every effort to clean your teeth within the bounds of comfort.

Hot Applications
          After the first 36 hours post-operative, apply warm compresses to the skin overlying the areas of swelling (moist hot towels or a heating pad) for 20 minutes on and twenty minutes off to help soothe those tender areas. This will also decrease swelling and stiffness.

Dry Sockets
          Normal healing after tooth extraction should be as follows: The first day of surgery is usually the most uncomfortable and there is some degree of swelling and stiffness. The second day you will usually be far more comfortable and, although still swollen, you can usually begin a more substantial diet. From the third day on GRADUAL, STEADY IMPROVEMENT should mark the remainder of your post-operative course. If a DRY SOCKET occurs (loss of a blood clot from socket, usually on the 3rd or 5th day), there is a noticeable, distinct, persistent throbbing pain in the jaw, often radiating toward the ear and forward along the jaw to cause other teeth to ache.

(Instructions for procedures other than standard oral surgery procedures will be provided)

Please call our office to set up a post operative appointment 7-10 days after surgery.

Any communication/correspondance and or information pertaining to this site, is purely informational and does NOT constitute an doctor/client relationship or medical advice. To establish a relationship you must call the office and set up an appointment or come to the office.