Please carefully follow the instructions below. If you have any questions regarding any of these instructions please contact the office as soon as possible.
If you were given Exparel® (long acting numbing medication), and are also using a narcotic/opioid pain medication, please follow these instructions HERE.
If you were given Exparel (long acting numbing medication), and you are NOT using a narcotic/opioid pain medication, please follow these instructions HERE.
- As part of your surgical procedure, you were given a local anesthetic to numb the surgical area. In some cases, this local anesthetic may last up to 14 hours. You may also have been given Exparel, a long acting non-opioid pain relief medication. Exparel may keep the extraction sites numb for a few days following surgery. If you have any questions, please call or text the office at (303) 493-1933.
- If you had IV sedation, you may have been given a long-acting intravenous pain medication called Toradol. This medication will last for approximately 8 hours after surgery and is part of the Ibuprofen family. You may not take any additional Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Aleve, or Naproxen products for 8 hours after surgery.
- You should begin taking pain medication after surgery once you feel the numbness starting to wear off and you have had something to eat. It is important to stay ahead of the pain and not wait to take the pain medication until you are experiencing severe pain, as it will take the pain medication longer to become effective.
- For moderate pain, 2 tablets of extra-strength Tylenol may be taken every eight hours. You may also take Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil starting 8 hours after surgery if you had IV sedation. You may take 4 tablets of 200mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours. Tylenol and Ibuprofen may be taken together for added pain control.
- For severe pain, take the prescribed narcotic pain medication as directed. The prescribed pain medication does contain Tylenol, so you may not take any additional Tylenol with the prescribed pain medication. This is a narcotic medication that can cause nausea. Make sure to take this medication with food to help reduce the symptoms.
- Pain and swelling usually peak 48 hours after surgery. If the pain does not begin to subside or starts to increase after the 48-hour time frame, please call the office.
- You can expect soreness at the surgical site for several days, and then it will taper for 1-2 weeks.
Call Ivey Oral & Facial Surgery at (303) 493-1933 if you have any questions!
