The Wisdom Tooth Clinic 

• Do not Spit, Rinse or Drink for a minimum of three hours.

• Best to sit up and watch TV, do not go to sleep with the gauze in your mouth.

• Do not exercise or participate in any activities that will increase your heart rate for one day.

• Do not disturb the wound as you may invite irritation, infection and/or bleeding. Chew on the opposite site of your wound for the first 24 hours.

• Do not keep changing the gauze as frequent changing will promote bleeding as a dry gauze is more absorbent. It is normal to have the taste of blood in your mouth.

• Do not spit or suck through a straw as it will promote bleeding and may dislodge the blood clot which could result in a dry socket.

• Diet and nutrition are both extremely important, a soft diet for the next few days may be required, but don't stinge on the nutrients.

• If the wound is not closed with stitches, a pressure pack made of folded sterile gauze pads will be placed over the socket. It is important that this pack stays in place for at least 2 hours so it can help control bleeding and encourage clot formation. If the bleeding has not stopped when the gauze is removed, place another new gauze pad over the extraction site.

• After the surgery, some swelling is expected. To control the swelling, place a cold pack at the site of swelling during the first 24 hours in a cycle of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.

• After the first 25 hours, it is advisable to rinse with warm saltwater every two hours to promote healing. One teaspoon of salt to eight ounces of water.

• Anti-inflammatory medication like paracetamol is used to control minor discomfort following oral surgery. Stronger analgesics may be prescribed by our dentist if you are in extreme discomfort.

Following the removal of your wisdom teeth, call us if there is any unusual bleeding, swelling or pain. The first six to eight hours are typically the worst, but should be manageable with ice packs and non-prescription pain medication. You should make another appointment with us about a week later to ensure that everything is healing well, and if there are stitches to be removed, to remove them.