OMS FAQ

If your temperature is above 101 degrees, please call the office to reschedule. If it is a minor cold, then it might not require rescheduling. Patient safety is always our top priority, so feel free to call the office if you have any concerns.

No. Please do not eat or drink anything 6 hours before surgery if you are being sedated; this is for the patient’s safety. It is very important for every patient to have an empty stomach before any surgery or procedure that requires anesthesia to prevent nausea to keep any food or liquid from getting into the lungs.

Yes, some bruising may take place after surgery, especially around the surgical site and in patients taking blood thinners. Bruising is caused from mild bleeding between the bone and tissue after surgery, and should disappear within seven to ten days.

For the first 48 hours, only use ice packs to help with swelling. Afterward you may use heating pads or a moist hot compress to bring down the swelling.

Medications can have more than one name (like how Motrin can also be branded Advil or Ibuprofen). If your prescription is signed on the left side, you can get a generic of the medication at your pharmacy. You can also check with the Pharmacist or call the office with specific concerns.

Pain is normal for the first two to three days. Typically the third day after surgery is the peak of swelling, but should start to get better afterward.

24 hours after surgery or when your bleeding stops.

Do not leave gauze in your mouth while sleeping unless you are actively bleeding, which means saturating a gauze pad in less than an hour with bright red blood. If you are not bleeding, leave it out when you sleep.

The socket (hole) heals from the inside out. The tissue will start to close over in one to two weeks, and then it could take 2 months for the socket to completely heal.

Do not worry. The extraction site should still heal properly even if the stitches fall out the day of surgery.

If numbness persists greater than one week after surgery, give the office a call. Otherwise, numbness is a normal part of healing.

This is completely normal. The medication we have can make some patients cry for no reason. As the medication wears off, the crying will stop.

You can brush your teeth 24 hours after surgery.

You can wear your retainer the day after surgery.

Refrain from smoking for at least three days after surgery. Even longer is better. This will allow the extraction site to heal a little bit and reduce the chances of complications.

That is normal to feel. You are feeling the bone that the tooth set in. It will wear down and cover with gum, eventually.

Please ensure the gauze remains in place for at least 45 minutes after surgery. After that time period, you may remove the gauze to eat or drink and then replace it with fresh gauze after you’re finished.

This is normal. The white spot is granulation tissue (like a scab in the mouth) and is a sign that the extraction site is healing.

This happens frequently while the blood clot is forming. Use your mouth rinses to swish out the food particle, or if it isn’t too uncomfortable, you can leave it alone and it will eventually dislodge itself.

24 hours after surgery you can start adding solid foods back into your diet at your discretion on how chewing makes you feel.

Please do not drink through a straw until three days after surgery. Using a straw with a sucking motion can cause more bleeding by dislodging the blood clot.

Put the same gauze in between the teeth as you would normally so that the denture fits tightly on the gums.

Yes, your denture can be removed. After surgery, you will probably need to make an appointment with your dentist to realign your denture.