Bleeding
Rinse your mouth as little as possible on the first day: vigorous rinsing or spitting encourages bleeding. Slight bleeding is normal and should not worry you. If bleeding is heavy: rinse once only, then apply a gauze pad or a tightly balled piece of paper towel to the wound, pressing — by biting on it or with a finger — for at least twenty minutes.
Anaesthesia and eating
The effect of the local anaesthetic wears off after one to three hours. Do not eat until you can feel your lip and tongue again, as you could bite yourself.
Eat relatively soft and lukewarm — or even cold — food. Avoid hot food and drinks: heat encourages bleeding and swelling.
Oral hygiene
You can brush your teeth normally, except around the surgical sites. Good oral hygiene is essential to reduce the risk of infection. Use a disinfectant mouthwash (Corsodyl, Hextril or IsoBetadine) from the day after the procedure, for about two weeks, 3 to 6 times a day.
Normal post-operative course
- Pain and swelling, highly variable from one person to another and depending on the surgical site: on average 4 days (from 0 to 12 days). It is not abnormal to still have pain after one, sometimes two weeks.
- Moderate discomfort for 2 to 3 weeks when chewing and brushing your teeth.
- After wisdom tooth extractions, there is a (very small) risk of infection for 3 months, due to food being trapped in the socket left by the tooth. The socket closes gradually.
- The sutures are resorbable: they disappear after 2 to 6 weeks.