Aftercare

Follow the individual care instructions you are given; they take priority over general advice.¹ Ask your dentist about any instruction you do not understand or think conflicts with another. Ask for the care advice in writing.

Use this page as a general aftercare overview. Ask your dentist for the eating, cleaning, medication and review plan for your own procedure.

Ask your dentist to explain these points in writing:

• When and how to clean the treated area.
• What you can eat and drink, and when to resume your usual activities.
• Which medicines to take and how to take them.
• Which symptoms mean you should seek help, and whom to contact.
• Your review date and how any stitches will be followed up.

Under Turkey's patient rights regulation, you are entitled to information about medicines, lifestyle advice and how to reach help when needed². Ask for written details of when and how you can contact the clinic, and where to seek help if it cannot be reached.

• Initial care. After an extraction, do not rinse, spit or disturb the extraction site for the first 24 hours¹. Avoid strenuous exercise for the first 24 hours¹. After that, careful brushing and gentle rinsing with warm salt water¹ are advised. Follow any different individual instructions you are given.
• Bleeding. You may notice a little blood in your saliva¹. For active bleeding, place the gauze supplied over the area and bite firmly to apply pressure; seek help if bleeding does not stop³. See the emergency section below for heavy bleeding that continues.
• Swelling and pain. After an extraction, pain and swelling can increase for the first 72 hours before starting to settle¹. For pain relief, follow your dental team's advice and the medicine leaflet; do not exceed the recommended dose³. Ask which medicine is suitable for you.
• Smoking. Do not smoke. A review of published observational studies found smoking associated with a higher risk of dry socket after extraction⁴. This finding comes from published research, not our own records; the research did not establish a safe waiting period.
• Dry socket warning signs. Increasing pain at the extraction site, an unpleasant taste and bad breath can be signs of dry socket³. Contact your dentist if these occur.

Ask for written instructions on how to clean the implant area, what to eat and how to use any temporary teeth. Assessment of the wound at a stitch review and continued follow-up⁵ are part of implant aftercare. Stopping smoking and remaining smoke-free in the long term⁵ are advised.

Bleeding or swollen gums around an implant, or a loose tooth restoration on an implant, need prompt assessment⁶. Tell the clinic about the symptom. Confirm your review plan with your dentist.

After a filling, crown or veneer, ask when you can eat and how to clean the area. If you have a temporary restoration, ask for its care instructions separately.

If you have had local anaesthesia, avoid eating and hot drinks until the numbness has worn off, because unnoticed biting or burns can occur⁷.

If the new restoration feels as though it touches first when you close your teeth, ask to have your bite checked. If you have sensitivity, tell your dentist what triggers it and whether it is settling. See a dentist for pain when biting or toothache that does not improve with painkillers⁸. Do not just wait for it to pass without a dentist checking it.

Tell your dentist the name of your medicine and how you take it. Do not stop it or change the dose on your own; ask the clinician who prescribed it whether any change is needed; ask for a written medication plan.

The SDCEP aftercare leaflet for people taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines recommends paracetamol for pain and advises avoiding medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac⁹. This advice is specifically for people taking these medicines. The aspirin warning here concerns its use for pain relief; ask your clinician about your prescribed medication plan.

The same leaflet advises you to contact your dentist if bleeding continues after applying pressure for 30 minutes⁹. Seek emergency help for heavy bleeding that does not stop.

For general daily care, brush at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and spit out the toothpaste¹⁰. Adults are advised to clean between their teeth every day¹⁰. Ask which floss or interdental brush is suitable and how to use it.

For a surgical site, check your individual instructions before applying your usual cleaning routine to that area. Ask your dentist when to brush the site and how to clean between the teeth.

For regular oral health reviews, the interval should be tailored to your existing disease and risk of dental disease¹¹. Discuss the interval with your dentist and ask for your next review date in writing.

This general recall advice does not replace a wound review after surgery or implant follow-up. The implant aftercare source advises continued follow-up⁵. Ask which reviews are planned for you and what each is for.

Contact your dentist promptly for toothache that does not improve with painkillers, pain when biting, an unpleasant taste or toothache with fever⁸. Follow the advice above for dry socket warning signs or problems around an implant too.

Go to a hospital emergency department for these symptoms:

• Significant bleeding that does not stop after dental surgery such as an extraction.¹²
• Swelling spreading towards your eye or neck.⁸
• Difficulty breathing, swallowing or speaking with swelling in your mouth or neck.⁸
• Facial swelling with signs of being seriously unwell (for example fever or shivering), or getting very unwell very quickly.¹²

If you need emergency assistance, call 112¹³. Do not wait for a clinic message reply or your scheduled review.

For care details relating to your procedure, read the tooth extraction, multiple teeth implants and fillings pages. For crowns and veneers, ask for written aftercare instructions for your own procedure.

Return to your treatment journey for the overall process. Read what to expect for preparation and assessment, and the treatment timeline for planning the stages.

What if this page differs from the instructions you were given?

Follow your individual care instructions. If you do not understand the difference, ask your dentist and request the explanation in writing.

What if a new filling or crown feels high when you bite?

Ask to have your bite checked. Mention any pain when biting or sensitivity too. Do not assume that you should wait a particular length of time without an assessment of your own situation.

If you take blood thinners, whom should you ask about pain relief?

Tell your dentist about your medicines and ask which pain relief is suitable. Clarify any change to your blood thinner with the clinician who prescribed it, and ask for a written medication plan.

Should I have the same review interval after every treatment?

Your review interval is individual. Ask separately about the dates and purposes of your surgical wound review, implant follow-up and regular oral health review.