A patient left my office after a wisdom tooth extraction and immediately drank a hot coffee in the car. An hour later he called me in panic. «Doctor, the bleeding will not stop.» I asked him to come back. The hot coffee had dilated the vessels in the freshly formed clot, and the clot started to wash out. A classic mistake. I redid the tamponade, gave him a second piece of gauze, and sent him home with a concrete list of rules.

Since that day I give every surgical patient a written aftercare note. Not «take care», but concretely: what is okay, what is not, when to call. Because general rules exist, but the details depend on the procedure. After a filling one thing, after a wisdom tooth quite another, after an implant something else entirely.

After a filling

Composite filling: cures instantly under the light. You can eat as soon as the anaesthesia wears off (1-3 hours). For the first 24 hours, avoid staining foods (coffee, turmeric, berries).

Post-filling sensitivity is normal and usually resolves within 1-2 weeks. If pain increases or appears when biting, return for a bite adjustment.

After a tooth extraction

1

First 2 hours

Bite down on the gauze pad. Do not rinse, spit, or drink through a straw. All of these create suction that can dislodge the blood clot.

2

First 24 hours

No hot food or drinks. No smoking (nicotine constricts blood vessels and slows healing). No exercise. Apply a cold pack externally (10 minutes on, 10 minutes off) to reduce swelling.

3

From day two

Gentle rinses with antiseptic (chlorhexidine 0.2%) if prescribed. Soft food. Normal brushing, but avoid the extraction site.

When to call your dentist

🩸 Bleeding persists for more than 4 hours

🌡 Temperature above 38.5 on day two or later

😣 Pain worsens on day 3-4 (sign of dry socket, Alveolitis sicca)

😮 Numbness lasts more than 24 hours

After professional cleaning (PZR)

Avoid staining foods and drinks for 2 hours after cleaning. Freshly polished enamel absorbs pigments easily. Mild sensitivity for 1-2 days is normal.

After a crown or veneer

Temporary cement: avoid sticky foods and chewing gum. Permanent restoration: you can bite normally right away, but chew on the other side for the first few days. Use superfloss to clean under bridges.

After root canal treatment (Endodontics)

This is the most demanding therapy. The tooth typically stays without a nerve but with a temporary filling. If you follow the rules, the risk of reinfection is low.

  • Avoid loading the treated tooth for 1-2 weeks, especially before the crown is placed. The tooth becomes brittle after endo.
  • Moderate pain for 2-5 days is normal, especially when chewing. Ibuprofen 400 mg up to 3 times per day if needed.
  • Crown placement within 4-6 weeks after endo is mandatory. Without a crown, back teeth crack in 50 percent of cases within a year.
  • Control after 6-12 months. An X-ray checks whether the inflammation at the root tip has resolved.

After implant placement

The implant must osseointegrate (fuse with the bone) over 3-6 months. This period is critical.

  • The first 2 weeks are the most important. Do not smoke (nicotine reduces integration by 20-30 percent), no sauna, no alcohol, no sport.
  • Hygiene particularly careful. Antiseptic as prescribed, soft brush around the wound, special implant floss later.
  • Soft food for 1-2 weeks. Chew on the other side.
  • Checkups: 7 days (suture removal), 3 weeks, 3 months, then crown placement.

I tell my patients: 6 weeks of discipline against 10-15 years of implant life. A good deal.