Oral Surgery FAQs

It is important to discuss all medication with Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry during your pre-surgical consultation. In most cases medication should be continued unless specifically instructed to withhold them. Typically Plavix, Aspirin, Coumadin and other types of blood thinners can also be continued. When necessary Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will consult with your physician to safely manage your medications.

Depending upon your treatment we may administer a local anesthesia such as lidocaine or nitrous oxide. For a more involved treatment we may recommend an oral sedation or intravenous sedation.

Depending on the extent of the procedure and type of sedation you may resume work and a normal life style anywhere from a few hours to a few days. It is important to resume your normal dental routine after 24 hours. This should include brushing and flossing your teeth at least once a day. This will speed healing and help keep your mouth fresh and clean. After a few days you will feel fine and can resume your normal activities. If you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, continued swelling for 2-3 days, or a reaction to the medication, call our office immediately.

The length of surgery depends on your treatment. Some surgery's are less than 30 minutes, while other procedures may take considerably longer. Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will provide you with the estimated time of surgery at your pre-surgical consultation.

If treatment calls for the patient to be sedated then yes there are food and/or drink restriction. The patient must not consume anything, including water for 6-8 hours prior to surgery.

Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will discuss your anesthesia options. Our goal is to provide minimal discomfort as possible.

We commonly use antibiotics to kill bacteria found in the mouth, which will also prevent infection after treatment, particularly with the placement of dental implants immediately after extracted teeth. The specific drug used depends on the medical profile and well being of the patient and the type of treatment.

Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry and/or one of their highly trained surgical assistants will continuously monitor your vital signs.

It's important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding after a tooth extraction. You will be asked to bite on a gauze pad for 30-45 minutes immediately after the extraction. If the bleeding or oozing still persists, place another gauze pad and bite firmly for another 30 minutes. You may have to do this several times. After the blood clot forms, it is important not to disturb or dislodge the clot as it aids healing. Do not rinse vigorously, suck on straws, smoke, drink alcohol or brush teeth next to the extraction site for 72 hours. These activities will dislodge or dissolve the clot and retard the healing process. Limit vigorous exercise for the next 24 hours as this will increase blood pressure and may cause more bleeding from the extraction site.

After the tooth is extracted, you may feel some pain and experience some swelling. An ice pack or an unopened bag of frozen peas or corn applied to the area will keep swelling to a minimum. Take pain medications as prescribed. The swelling usually subsides after 48 hours. In some treatments there may be some minor bruising; however, in procedures such as dental implant placement ordinarily there is no bruising seen. For teeth removal or jaw procedures, women and/or very light skinned patients may experience slight bruising. Taking blood thinner will help reduce bruising. It is, however, not uncommon to have a black eye or discolored cheek or neck following extensive procedures. Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will discuss what bruising if any would be related to your procedure treatment.

Procedure and patient health are determining factors of what antibiotic and/or medication will be prescribed. Call the office if the medication does not seem to be working. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if signs and symptoms of infection are gone. Drink lots of fluid and eat nutritious soft food on the day of the extraction. You can eat normally as soon as you are comfortable. Walnut Hill Cosmetic & Family Dentistry will discuss what, when, how long and dosage with you in both the pre-surgery and post surgery interviews.