It’s important to get ample rest and relaxation after your procedure, to allow the extraction site to heal properly. It’s best to keep your head in an upright position as much as possible to prevent continuous blood flow and to allow a clot to develop.

It is common for you to feel bleeding following your tooth extraction. You may find yourself changing your gauze for up to an hour following your surgery, but the extraction site will eventually form a clot, preventing further bleeding. For the first 24 hours, avoid drinking with a straw, sucking on candies or ice pops, slurping soups or other liquids, rapidly rinsing your mouth, and smoking. These items cause suction in the mouth. This may cause the blood clot to dislodge. Do not poke the extraction site with your tongue as it might dislodge the clot and create complications.

Drinking water keeps your teeth clean and free of microorganisms while also keeping your body hydrated. After your tooth extraction, drink plenty of water to keep the extraction site clean and avoid infection. However, avoid drinking using a straw since the sucking motion might disrupt the clot at the extraction site.

You may have swelling or pain following your tooth extraction, which is normal and can last up to three days. To reduce swelling, apply ice to your cheek in 10-minute intervals.p.

Stick to a soft diet to prevent irritation, bleeding, or dislodging the blood clot that forms in the socket to facilitate healing. Also drink plenty of liquids.

Cigarette smoke includes chemical irritants that can cause gum and oral tissue damage and delay recovery. If you smoke and expose your recovering gums to these toxins, you may experience major consequences such as dry socket, inflammation, or infection.

Both alcohol and carbonated beverages can damage the clot in your extraction site and cause complications, so avoid drinking them for at least four days after your extraction.

Avoid eating harder foods after extraction, as these might damage, or get trapped in, the recovering area and disrupt the clot, making complications in healing process.

It might feel strange to be missing a tooth, but you should avoid poking around the extraction site with your tongue or other object as the site heals.

If you feel that something is off, call your dentist right away and have them carefully examine the area. Most people recover rapidly following wisdom tooth removal if they follow the doctor's recovery instructions.