If you receive sedation anesthesia or general anesthesia, you’re taken to a recovery room after the procedure. If you have local anesthesia, your brief recovery time is likely in the dental chair.

As you heal from your surgery, follow your dentist’s instructions on:

  • There may be some oozing of blood which may occur the first day after wisdom tooth removal. Try to avoid excessive spitting so that you don’t dislodge the blood clot from the socket. Replace gauze over the extraction site as directed by your dentist.
  • Pain management. You may be able to manage pain with an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Nurofen, or a prescription pain medication from your dentist. Prescription pain medication may be especially helpful if the bone has been removed during the procedure.

Holding a cold pack against your jaw also may relieve pain. Along with anti-inflammatory drugs like Voltaren.

  • Swelling and bruising. Use an ice pack as directed by your dentist. The swelling of your cheeks usually improves in two or three days. Bruising may take several more days to fade.
  • After your surgery, plan to rest for the remainder of the day. Resume normal activities the next day, but for at least a week, avoid strenuous activity that might result in losing the blood clot from the socket.

Most people take a week off just to make life easier, but not always possible with work commitments.

  • Drink lots of water after the surgery. Don’t drink the following:
    • alcoholic,
    • caffeinated,
    • carbonated or
    • hot beverages in the first 24 hours.

Don’t drink with a straw for at least a week because the sucking action can dislodge the blood clot from the socket.

  • Eat only soft foods, such as yogurt or applesauce, for the first 24 hours. Start eating semisoft foods when you can tolerate them. Avoid hard, chewy, hot, or spicy foods that might get stuck in the socket or irritate the wound.
  • Cleaning your mouth. Don’t brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, spit or use mouthwash during the first 24 hours after surgery. Typically you’ll be told to resume brushing your teeth after the first 24 hours. Be particularly gentle near the surgical wound when brushing and gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water every two hours and after meals for a week.
  • Tobacco use. If you smoke, don’t do so for at least 72 hours after surgery — and wait longer than that if possible. If you chew tobacco, don’t use it for at least a week. Using tobacco products after oral surgery can delay healing and increase the risk of complications.
  • You may have stitches that dissolve within a few weeks or no stitches at all. If your stitches need to be removed, schedule an appointment to have them taken out.