Care at Home After Oral Surgery

You can take steps at home to help your child heal and lower the risk of problems after oral surgery. Oral surgery may include procedures such as tooth removal, lip or tongue tie release, exposing a tooth, treating an infection or abscess, or doing a biopsy.  

These home care tips can support your child’s safe recovery after oral surgery. 

Control bleeding

Occasional bleeding or small amounts of oozing are common after oral surgery. Take these steps to help control any bleeding: 

• Place moist gauze over the surgical site. 
• Have your child bite down or put pressure on the gauze. 
• Keep pressure on the gauze for 35–45 minutes. 
• Replace the gauze as needed. 

If the bleeding doesn’t stop or increases, contact your child’s care team. 

During the first 24 hours after oral surgery, your child should not: 

• Spit 
• Rinse 
• Pull on their lips or cheeks to look at the surgery spot 
• Touch the area with fingers or anything else 
• Use a straw 
• Do hard physical activity 

Avoiding these actions helps a blood clot to form at the surgery site. This clot protects the site and allows it to heal. Spitting, rinsing, using a straw, or physical activity can loosen or remove the clot. 

Rinsing safely

Eat soft foods

Your child should keep drinking and eating while their mouth heals. Food provides energy and nutrients that support healing and recovery. 

At first, your child may have non-carbonated liquids and soft foods only. Foods that are easy to chew and swallow will make eating easier for your child. Avoid hot, spicy, crunchy, or sticky foods.  

While your child’s mouth is sore, soft food options include: 

• Liquids (no straw): nutrition drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, fruit juice, Gatorade^®, water, soup 
• Soft foods: eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potatoes, mashed beans, hummus, soft tofu, porridge 
• Soft desserts: pudding, custard, Jell-O^®, applesauce, ice cream 

Give pain medicines as directed 

Your health care provider may prescribe a pain medicine for your child after surgery. Give these medicines on schedule and follow dosing instructions carefully. Do not give pain medicines more often or in greater amounts than prescribed. 

Watch for side effects. Some pain medicines can cause a person to feel dizzy or drowsy. 

Pain medicines can sometimes cause nausea if taken on an empty stomach. To help prevent an upset stomach, have your child take pain medicines with food. 

Ask your care team about using over-the-counter pain relievers for your child’s pain.  

Manage pain

Other non-medicine ways to help with pain include: 

• Offer cold foods or drinks, such as ice cream or popsicles. You can also let your child melt ice chips in their mouth (don't chew ice). Cold can help decrease pain and swelling. 
• Use distraction, such as watching a favorite show, listening to music, reading, coloring, or playing quiet games. 
• Encourage calm breathing by taking slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. 
• Help your child rest and relax with their head raised on pillows. 

Reduce swelling

Your child’s face may swell after oral surgery. You may also notice redness or bruising. These are common side effects. They are a normal part of the healing process. 

The swelling may not be the same on each side. It may get worse for up to 3 days. It may take 5–10 days for the swelling and bruising to go away completely.  

 It is normal for your child’s jaw to feel stiff after surgery. This stiffness should improve as the swelling goes down. Once the swelling improves, gently opening and stretching the mouth a few times each day will help your child return to normal mouth opening. 

How to reduce swelling and bruising 

To help manage pain, swelling, and bruising: 

• Keep your child’s head elevated for the first 2 days. Use 2–3 pillows to prop up their head while resting or sleeping. 
• Apply an ice pack or cold compress to the swollen areas during the first 24 hours.  
  • Use the ice pack or cold compress for 20 minutes at a time.  
  • Wait at least 20 minutes before using ice packs again. 
• After 48 hours (but not before), you may apply heat to the jaw using warm, moist towels.  
  • Use the towels for only 20 minutes at a time.  
  • Wait at least 20 minutes before using the towels again. 

Keep teeth clean

Keeping the mouth clean helps it heal. Your child may gently brush their teeth. Have your child slowly open their mouth and brush the areas they can reach, but do not brush the surgery area. 

Give antibiotic medicines as prescribed

If the care team prescribes an antibiotic, give it to your child exactly as directed. Your child should take the antibiotic until it is all gone, even if they start to feel better.  

If your child misses a dose, give the next dose as scheduled.  

Talk to your care team if you have questions about how and when to give medicines or how to manage side effects.   

Stitches (Sutures)

Your child may have stitches to help stop bleeding and help the mouth heal. These stitches will dissolve on their own after several weeks and do not need to be removed. 

Do not touch, pull, or play with the stitches using fingers, tongue, or objects. 

It is normal for stitches to: 

• Be noticeable and felt by the tongue 
• Feel slightly annoying or scratchy 

Most children get used to the stitches without needing them removed. 

When to call your care team

Your child may have a low-grade fever between 99°F (37.2°C) and 100.4°F (38.0°C) for the first few days after surgery. Call your care team if your child has:  

• Fever over 100.4°F (38.0°C) 
• Slow bleeding or oozing that doesn’t stop after 2 hours 
• Bleeding that gets worse, is bright red, or fills your child’s mouth 
• Foul smell coming from their mouth 
• Severe pain or swelling 
• Drainage or pus from the surgery site 
• Stitches that come out during the first 2 days after surgery 
• Stitches that cause pain or irritation that get worse 

Questions to ask your care team 

• How much bleeding is normal after oral surgery?  
• What pain medicine should I give my child, and how often can they take it? 
• Does my child need to rinse with saltwater, and if so, how often?  
• When can my child start eating regular foods again?  
• How long will pain and swelling last? 
• When should we switch from ice to heat? 
• What should I do if swelling suddenly gets worse instead of better?  
• When can my child return to daycare, school, or other activities? 
• What signs mean that my child needs to be seen right away?  
• Who should I call if I have questions after clinic hours or on the weekend? 

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