After tooth removal and extraction, you should be very careful about the wound in your mouth.
Most activities are geared toward the avoidance of dislodging the blood clot on the wound, which would result in a painful condition called dry socket.
For the first 24 hours after surgery, you should rest.
Do not drink through a straw or spit
Also, in the first 24 hours, you should not eat anything but very soft foods (like pudding), not drink certain beverages (such as those with caffeine, alcohol, carbonation, or are hot), rinse your mouth or brush your teeth, or smoke.
You should begin taking pain medication as soon as you feel the local anesthetic wearing off.
After 24 hours, you can start to resume your normal activities, brush your teeth (gently), rinse your mouth with a salt water rinse every two hours and after meals, and eat semisoft foods once you feel ready.
You should also not drink with a straw, eat spicy or hard foods, or chew tobacco for at least a week.
You may experience bruising, pain, and bleeding around the area of the extracted tooth. This is normal in the first few days, but if it persists, you should let your oral surgeon or dentist know, as you could be experiencing complications.
Swelling around the mouth, cheeks, eyes and sides of the face is not uncommon after wisdom tooth removal. This is the body’s normal reaction to surgery and eventual repair. The swelling will not be noticeable until the day following surgery and will not reach its maximum until two or three days later. The key to preventing swelling is to start icing right after surgery and keep at it all day. Two baggies filled with ice, or ice packs should be applied to the sides of the face where surgery was performed. The ice packs should be left on continuously while you are awake.
Make sure you are also aware of whether you need to make an appointment to have your stitches removed.
Partial dentures, flippers, or full dentures should not be worn immediately after surgery and for at least ten days.