After Dental Extraction/ Operation Care
Dear Patient and Parents,
Well Done! You have successfully completed a small surgical procedure today.
While you are still comfortably numb from the local anesthetic, here are a few post-op instructions to get you through the next few days:
- Before the local anesthetic wears out, please take the prescribed painkillers to minimize discomfort. Do continue taking the painkillers at the prescribed dosage and frequency for the next few days. Pain and discomfort is usually the worst in the first 3 days and gradually reduces thereafter.
- During this period of numbness, be careful not to chew the numb lip or drink very hot liquids as you may hurt yourself unknowingly.
Place a piece of folded gauze over the wound and bite down firmly for 10 minutes to stop the bleeding. Tuck the gauze neatly on the socket and close your lips around it. Do not let the gauze stick out of the mouth like a cigarette. Change the gauze if it gets too wet. If active bleeding (thick bright red blood and clots) persists despite a few tries, please call the clinic number during office hours or head down to the nearest hospital A&E department after office hours.
- It is normal to have a ‘metallic’ taste in your mouth and slightly pink-coloured saliva throughout the day.
- Some facial and intraoral swelling can be expected around the op site for the next 4 to 5 days. There may be slight skin bruising colour around the face and sometimes down the neck. This usually resolves after 7-10 days.
- Neighbouring teeth may feel slightly shaky after extraction as the bones need to be expanded for the tooth to be taken out. This will resolve after a week.
- Avoid food that is too hot or hard and eat on the opposite side of the wound.
- Alcohol should not be taken with medications.
- If you develop any drug allergic reactions such as, eye swelling, rashes or skin itchiness, severe diarrhea and difficulty breathing. Please call the clinic number during office hours or head down to the nearest hospital A&E department after office hours.
- Do keep the wound clean to avoid infections. Brush gently around the area and use the antiseptic mouthwash gargle twice a day, gargle for 30 seconds and avoid eating/ drinking for 30 minutes after that.
- DO NOT SMOKE for at least 5 days post op to avoid DRY SOCKET which is a very painful complication commonly associated with post op smoking.
- Have a good rest. Avoid exercise such as swimming and jogging that can re-start the bleeding for the next 3 days.
Instructions for Microimplants (TADs)
Microimplants or miniscrews are tiny temporary anchorage devices (TADs) placed intraorally to increase treatment efficiency.
Follow all the instructions listed above and remember to:
- Gently clean the exposed head of the TADs.
- Avoid crunching on hard stuff such as ice cubes and peanuts on the teeth next to the TADs as this can loosen it with time.
If you have been given a review appointment, please attend. If you are unable to come, do call the clinic for an alternative date.
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Cheers always,
Dr Poon Kee Hwang & The Team at MyBracesClinic