You had surgery today. Here's exactly what to do.
Keep this page open — it covers your first day, your first week, and the signs that mean you should call us.
Call us right away if bleeding won't slow after 45 minutes of firm gauze pressure, swelling makes it hard to swallow or breathe, or you have a fever over 101 °F.
Trouble breathing or swallowing is an emergency — call 911 first. For everything else, day or night: (360) 386-5055.
Dr. Choi walks you through your recovery — 3 minutes.
Short on time? The video covers the essentials. The written details below are here whenever you need them.
Your first 24 hours
The first day sets up your healing. Follow this clock.
- Right now — first 2 hours Keep firm biting pressure on the gauze we placed. Swap it for fresh gauze every 30–45 minutes until oozing slows. Sit upright and rest.
- While you're numb No eating until the numbness wears off — you can bite your cheek or tongue without feeling it. Cool water is fine. Start your prescribed medication as directed by Dr. Choi before the numbness fades.
- This afternoon & evening Ice the outside of your face: 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Eat cool, soft food — yogurt, smoothies (spoon, no straw), eggs, mashed potatoes. Rest with your head elevated on an extra pillow.
- Tonight Skip brushing the surgical area — brush your other teeth normally and gently. No rinsing, spitting, straws, alcohol, or smoking. Sleep with your head slightly raised.
- Tomorrow Begin gentle salt-water rinses after meals (let the water fall out — don't swish hard or spit), or your prescription rinse if Dr. Choi gave you one. Keep eating soft and lukewarm.
What's normal — and what's not
Most of what you'll notice this week is expected healing. Here's how to tell the difference.
NormalPink-tinged saliva and light oozing for the first day or two.
Call usBright-red bleeding that refills gauze and won't slow after 45 minutes of firm pressure.
NormalSwelling that builds for 2–3 days, peaks, then slowly fades. Some bruising on the cheek or jaw.
Call usSwelling that keeps growing after day 3, feels hot and hard, or makes swallowing difficult.
NormalSoreness managed by your prescribed or recommended medication, improving each day.
Call usPain that gets worse after day 3 instead of better, or isn't touched by your medication.
NormalA whitish or grayish film over the surgical site — that's healing tissue, not infection. Leave it alone.
Call usBad taste with pus, fever over 101 °F, or a stitch that comes loose and leaves the site gaping.
NormalMild temperature sensitivity near the surgical site for a few weeks.
Call usNumbness or tingling in your lip, chin, or tongue that lasts beyond 24 hours.
The first week
- Food: soft and lukewarm for 5–7 days. Nothing sharp, crunchy, spicy, or hot — chips, nuts, seeds, and crusty bread can injure the site.
- Chewing: keep food away from the surgical side.
- Cleaning: brush and floss everywhere except the surgical area until Dr. Choi clears it at your follow-up. Keep up the gentle rinses after meals.
- Activity: no gym, heavy lifting, or bending over for 3–4 days — a rising heart rate restarts bleeding. Ease back in after that.
- Smoking & vaping: none for at least 2 weeks. This is the single biggest threat to your result — it starves the healing tissue of blood supply.
- Alcohol: none while on prescription medication, and ideally none for the first week.
Your procedure, specifically
Open yours. These add to — not replace — everything above.
Gum graft (connective tissue / tunneling)
- Do not pull your lip or cheek to look at the graft. The stitches and the graft are delicate — stretching the tissue is the most common way patients disturb them.
- If tissue was taken from the roof of your mouth, that donor site may be the sorer spot. If we gave you a palatal stent, wear it as instructed — it protects the area and makes eating easier.
- No brushing or flossing the grafted teeth at all until your follow-up. Plaque there is fine for now; disturbing the graft is not.
- Expect the graft to look white or pale for the first week — that is normal healing, not failure.
- Avoid pulling faces, playing wind instruments, or anything that tenses the lip over the graft for 2 weeks.
Dental implant
- Do not chew directly on the implant site until Dr. Choi tells you it's ready — the implant needs undisturbed weeks to fuse with your bone.
- If you wear a denture or flipper over the area, don't put it back in until we've checked and adjusted it. Pressure on a fresh implant can compromise it.
- A small metal healing cap may be visible through the gum — that's intentional. If it feels loose or comes off, save it and call us; it's not an emergency.
- If bone grafting was done with your implant, you may notice tiny gritty granules for a few days. That's normal — don't rinse aggressively to chase them.
LANAP laser therapy
- The laser forms a protective clot sealing your gums — do not floss or brush the treated areas until we clear you. Disturbing the seal undoes the treatment.
- Stick to a liquid-to-mushy diet for the first 3 days (smoothies, soup, eggs), then soft foods for the week.
- Your teeth may feel slightly loose for a few weeks — expected while the ligament heals and tightens. Don't test or wiggle them.
- Expect your gums to change color as they heal. Tartar-like roughness near the gumline will be addressed at your follow-ups.
Osseous surgery / bone regeneration
- Teeth in the treated area will likely feel more temperature-sensitive for several weeks as the gums settle at their new level. This fades; sensitivity toothpaste helps once you're cleared to brush there.
- The teeth may look slightly "longer" after healing — that is the planned result of removing diseased pocket tissue.
- If a membrane or graft material was placed, do not probe the area with your tongue, and report any material you can feel poking through the gum.
- Dressing (if placed) may crumble off in small pieces — that's fine. If the whole dressing comes off in the first 48 hours and the area is sore, call us.
Your medications
Take every medication exactly as prescribed, and finish the full course of any antibiotic even once you feel fine. Your specific regimen is on your written prescription sheet — if anything about it is unclear, or you have a reaction such as rash, hives, or stomach upset, call us at (360) 386-5055 before your next dose.
Your follow-up
Your post-op check is usually 1–2 weeks after surgery — it's on the appointment card you received today. That visit is where we confirm healing and tell you when to resume normal brushing at the site. If you don't have it scheduled, call the office and we'll set it.
Ben Choi, DMD, MSD
Periodontist · Ben Choi Periodontics & Implants
1533 Grove St, Marysville, WA 98270 · (360) 386-5055 · benchoiperio.com
한국어 안내가 필요하시면 전화해 주세요.