Bleeding is to be expected following surgery. Slight bleeding, oozing, or redness in the saliva is not uncommon, however, bleeding should stop within 24 hours of the procedure.
How to know bleeding has stopped
Often the gauze will be somewhat pink but not deeply red or saturated. If it is somewhat pink, this indicates that bleeding is well controlled. The key is to prevent blood from welling up or dripping out of your mouth.
Try not to miss any meals. You will feel better, have more strength, less discomfort and heal faster if you continue to eat.
For the first two days after surgery, your diet should be fairly soft. This includes things like mashed potatoes, pudding, Jell-O, protein shakes, soups, or anything that you can put into a blender. After the first two days your diet should slowly increase each day with the goal of being back to a normal diet 7 to 10 days after surgery.
Please do not be alarmed if your dentures do not have a great fit or you are having trouble using them. Your upper and lower jaws will swell and shrink over the first three months and may require multiple adjustments by your general dentist.
Denture adhesives should not be placed directly over the surgery site for two weeks after surgery. However, a pea-sized amount of injury adhesive may be placed on the palate of the denture, or the roof of the mouth to aid in holding the denture in place.
If you are diabetic, maintain your normal eating habits as much as possible, and follow instructions from us or your physician regarding your insulin schedule.
Swelling around the mouth, cheeks, eyes, and sides of the face is common. Swelling generally peaks 48 to 72 hours after surgery.
The development of black, blue, green, or yellow skin discoloration of the cheek is due to bruising spreading beneath the tissues. This is a normal postoperative occurrence, which may last several weeks.
1. A cold pack or ice bag wrapped in a towel should be applied firmly; 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off, to the face or cheek adjacent to the surgical area during the first 24 – 48 hours.
Please restart the prescribed mouthwash the day after surgery and discontinue one week after surgery. 
No straws, smoking, or forceful spitting for the first week.
2. It is helpful to keep the head elevated on extra pillows, or to sleep in a recliner, the first night after surgery