What You Need to Know About Getting Your Teeth Pulled for Denture Treatment
For those not in the know, you may be asking “What in the heck is E-day?” Amongst denture wearers, E-day is an “affectionate” term for the day when you have all of your remaining teeth removed. The “E” in E-day stands for “extractions” or “edentulism” (no more teeth), depending on who you ask. For most, it is the biggest and most nerve-wracking day of the denture process
Unless you know someone who has been through it before, E-Day can be frightening and mysterious. Will it hurt? Do I need to be put to sleep? Is it really safe to have all of my teeth taken out at one time? What if I start bleeding afterwards? The list of questions for E-day goes on and on.
While you may have many concerns about your upcoming E-day, it important to remember that millions of people have gone through this before. They made it just fine and so will you! The best way to get through your E-day is to have your questions answered and to be prepared. So, get ready! This page is your E-day primer and will help make things as smooth as possible for your early denture journey.
Preparing for E-Day:
Disclose Your FULL Medical History to Your Dentist
Too many people show up thinking this is just another dentist appointment. It’s not. This is surgery. Blood. Bone. Stitches. They will all be involved.
The first thing to consider for E-day is if you are healthy enough to get through the procedure. A good dentist or surgeon will review your medical history and ask questions about your current health status, medications, supplements, and habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and illegal drug use. It is extremely important that you are completely truthful and disclose everything to your dentist! Failure to do so can have catastrophic consequences for your health.
If you are prescribed blood pressure medication but don’t take it on a regular basis, let your dentist know. If you smoke a pack of cigs daily, don’t say you only smoke a few. If you eat Delta-8 or 9 THC gummies, let your dentist know. Hiding the truth from your dentist because this “is not a medical procedure” can cause serious problems.
One last thing, if you take vitamins or supplements, tell your dentist before E-day. Many supplements such as ginseng, garlic, gingko biloba, and horny goat weed have properties which may increase bleeding during surgery. You may think your dentist doesn’t need to know about the supplements you take, but do you really want to risk bleeding all over the place and having a medical emergency because you thought this was just a “dental visit”?
Decide if You Want Sedation for E-day
Does the thought of having a tooth removed make you nervous? If you are like most people, the answer is a resounding Yes! It is ok to be nervous. The question is, how do you cope? For some, a few deep breaths are all that is needed while others need something a bit stronger. If anxiety has gotten the better of you when thinking about dental treatment, sedation may be worth considering.
There are multiple different levels of sedation and they can be quite different depending on the methods employed and your health history. Additionally, dental providers can have different levels of sedation certification so all offices may not offer the type of sedation you desire.
Sedation Types for E-Day. Here’s How the Options Stack Up:
- Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas): Feeling just a little anxious about E-day? “Nitrous” may be right for you. You breathe this gas through a mask. You are awake and aware of what is happening, but it takes the edge off and helps you feel more relaxed. It is very safe and has minimal lingering effects when finished. This type of sedation is used for people who just want to relax a bit for their procedure.
- Oral Sedation (pill sedation): Do you want the blue pill or the red pill? No, you aren’t going into the Matrix, you are off to oral sedation land for your E-day. With oral sedation, a pill or two will help you relax. Some people, but not all, may doze off a bit with pill sedation. It is important to realize that you may be slightly awake during your procedure. The good thing about pill sedation is that it produces temporary amnesia, so you often forget everything that happened during your dental surgery. This type of sedation is used when you are somewhat nervous and relatively healthy.
- Intravenous (IV) Sedation: This type of sedation involves potent drugs being administered directly into your bloodstream through an IV. For dental surgeries, the IV will typically be placed into a vein on the back of your hand or on your forearm. Depending on the level of IV sedation used, you will experience varying levels of sleep from just barely all the way up to out like a light! Like oral sedation, you won’t remember anything with IV sedation. This type of sedation is typically used for extremely nervous or somewhat sick patients.
- General Anesthesia: This is the most advanced form of sedation. With most forms of general anesthesia for dental surgery, a tube is inserted into your nose and extends down into your windpipe. This protects your airway and can help you breathe. General anesthesia utilizes powerful IV medications and/or gases to render you completely unconscious. This is the deepest form of sleep, and you won’t remember anything. This type of sedation is typically reserved for extremely large dental surgeries and for patients who have significant medical conditions.
| Sedation Type | Sleep Level | Amnesia Level | Escort Required |
| Nitrous Oxide | None | Mild | No |
| Oral (Pill) | None to Mild | Mild to Moderate | Yes |
| Intravenous (IV) | Mild to Deep | Moderate to Strong | Yes |
| General | Complete | Strong | Yes |
Sedation Tips for E-day:
- Bring an escort if required. No escort…no sedation!
- Do not eat after midnight for IV sedation and general anesthesia.
- Wear loose fitting and comfortable clothing (don’t wear white).
- If you have a small bladder or urinate frequently, consider wearing an adult diaper
- Bring an extra pair of clothes, just in case.
- Do not wear contact lenses.
- Do not wear makeup.
- Do not wear nail polish.
- Do not wear jewelry.
The Days and Night Before E-day
The days leading up to E-day should be when you are gathering supplies needed for the time when you will be resting after dental extraction surgery. Be sure to stock up on soft foods such as mashed potatoes, hummus, chicken noodle soup, guacamole, smoothie fruits, milk, ice cream, pudding, etc. Picking up a few bags of frozen peas is a good idea as they make perfect “icepacks” that neatly adapt to the contours of your face. You might even want to buy some gauze and tea bags just in case you have any bleeding issues after surgery. We will explain the teabags in just a bit!
It is also a good idea to pick up any prescriptions that the dental office may have phoned in to the pharmacy. Picking up these medications before your E-day appointment will ensure that they are readily available when you aren’t feeling so hot during the first few days of healing. If you forget to pick up your meds, you are going to be kicking yourself when you have nothing for pain control after surgery.
If you are ok with eating carbohydrates, consider “carbo-loading” on the days leading up to E-day to build energy stores for your procedure. This strategy involves eating higher levels of carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, breads, and cereals 1-3 days prior to your surgery. E-day is a big day and can put a lot of stress on your body which can drain energy stores. Having ready stores of energy in your body will help prevent medical emergencies such as hypoglycemia. If you choose not to carbo-load, just be sure to eat a well-balanced diet of health food prior to E-day.
On the day prior to E-day, be sure to drink plenty of water to hydrate your body. Avoid alcohol consumption and limit smoking as well. Gather everything you need for your dental office visit and have it ready for the next day. Try to get to bed early so you will get a good night’s sleep and be well rested. If you anticipate being very nervous on the night prior to E-day, you may talk to your dentist about prescribing a mild sedative such as Valium to help you sleep. A word of caution…if you take a sedative to help with sleeping, be sure not to oversleep and miss your appointment!
The BIG Day! E-day has Arrived!
The wait is finally over, and it is time to begin your denture journey. Hopefully you got plenty of sleep last night and you are well rested this morning. Remember that today is E-day and you will NOT be doing your normal morning routine. While it is ok to take a shower and perform normal hygiene measures, be sure to avoid applying any make up today. Also, if you have long hair, it is best to avoid using any large hair clips as they can often prevent your head from fully resting on the dental chair.
Get dressed in comfortable clothes and make sure they are not your Sunday best. It is possible you may drool some blood after your surgery today and you don’t want to ruin any clothing which is near and dear to you. If you live in a cold area, dress in layers. It is possible that you will need to remove a sweater or thick outer garment in order to wear a blood pressure cuff during sedation. Do not wear high heels. Simple comfortable shoes are what you need today.
If you are having sedation, remember not to eat or drink anything this morning. If you do, your surgery may be cancelled! Should you need to take any medications at the direction of your dentist, it is ok to take them with small sips of water. If you are not having sedation for your E-day appointment, it is ok to eat breakfast, but it is best to keep it rather light and avoid anything rich in fat such as sausage.
Grab your E-day bag which should have an extra pair of clothes, an old towel, and all of the paperwork for your dental surgery appointment. The extra pair of clothes are there just in case you have a bathroom accident while under sedation in the chair. The old towel can be used if you happen to drool any blood from your mouth while still numb after the surgery.
If you are having sedation, have your escort drive you to your E-day appointment. In most offices, the dentist will not perform your sedation if you drive to the appointment on your own and plan to have your escort pick you up later. There have just been too many instances of escorts never showing up! If you are not having sedation, you can drive to the appointment on your own.
Once your surgery is complete, go home and rest. Now is not the time to be mowing the lawn or performing other chores around the house. You just had a big day. Your body will have used tons of energy during the E-day surgery, and you will be tired. If you had sedation, the meds will still be in your system, and you may still feel a bit loopy. Your face will likely be numb from the local anesthesia (shots…the dreaded dental shots) and talking may be difficult.
When you get home, be sure to drink plenty of fluids and try to eat something with sugar. Your body burned a lot of calories during your E-day surgery, and you will need to replenish them. Don’t forget that you will no longer have teeth, so soft foods will be needed to save the day. A nice bowl of ice cream may be just what you need today.
Take prescribed medications as directed by your dentist and try to get to bed early. When sleeping tonight, use an extra pillow or two to elevate your head. It is possible to still ooze a bit of blood tonight and sleeping with your head elevated will decrease the chance of this happening. Also, it is a good idea to put an old towel on your pillows just in case you do bleed a little.
The First Few Days After E-day Surgery
Congratulations! You made it through your surgery, but your denture journey is juts just beginning. At this point, your body is shifting into healing mode. That means inflammation, swelling, blood clotting, soreness, and even some bruising. In the first few days after surgery, expect to look and feel puffy. That’s not a problem; it’s just your body doing what it is supposed to do. And no, if you experience some swelling and bruising it does not mean that your dentist did a bad job.
During these first few days after E-day surgery, take it easy and try to limit physical activities. Working out or cleaning the house can elevate your blood pressure which may stimulate bleeding from your extraction sites. If you do start to ooze blood, you can bite on a moistened gauze or paper towel until the bleeding stops. Do not use these products dry as doing so has the potential to pull out blood clots.
If simple biting on moistened gauze or paper towels does not do the trick, consider biting on a moistened tea bag. Tea contains Tannic Acid which has been shown to aid blood clotting and reduce bleeding time. If none of these actions help, contact your dentist or visit a local emergency clinic for additional aid.
To limit swelling in your face, periodically apply ice to your skin during the first 48 hours. Do this for no more than 20 minutes at a time as longer applications can cause damage to the skin. If the ice is too cold, you can wrap a paper towel around the icepack to protect your skin. A cheap and simple alternative to expensive icepacks is a bag of frozen peas. These bags can adapt to the contours of your face and tend not to be overly cold.
During these first few days after surgery, it is important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Avoid using straws as the suction required has the potential to dislodge blood clots. It is also a good idea to avoid drinking carbonated beverages as the effervescent bubbles also have the potential to dislodge blood clots.
For nourishment during these first few days after E-day, it is best to stick to soft foods that require minimal chewing. Mashed potatoes, oatmeal, hummus, bisques, thin soups, guacamole, smoothies, milk shakes, and ice creams are high calorie foods that are easy to handle. Be sure to avoid sucking through straws as noted earlier.
Be sure to take all medications as prescribed by your dentist. Skipping doses can lead to more pain and possibly increase risk of infection.
Avoid smoking in the first few days after surgery. In addition to the known negative health effects of smoking, cigarettes have been shown to increase the risk of painful dry sockets following tooth removal surgery. If you smoke, this is going to be difficult. Try your best not to smoke after tooth removal surgery. If you do so, try to puff on your cigarettes as gently as possible. Just like sucking through a straw can dislodge healing blood clots, so can sucking on cigarette.
Finally, if your gums are sore or if your mouth just feels icky, you can rinse with salt water. Do this very gently to avoid rinsing out healing blood clots! A saltwater rinse can be made by dissolving 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup (8 ounces) of warm water. The best way to do this is to avoid “swishing” and simply roll your head from side to side while the saltwater is in your mouth. Rather than forcefully spitting out the water, simply allow it to dribble from your mouth to avoid potential issues with your healing blood clots. Doing this over a sink is best.
In short:
- Expect bleeding and swelling during the first few days.
- Use ice packs at 20-minute intervals during the first 48 hours.
- Limit strenuous activities to keep blood pressure lower.
- Keep your head elevated while sleeping or resting.
- Avoid rinsing aggressively, smoking, and straws.
- Stay well hydrated and nourished.
- Call your dentist if bleeding is heavy or doesn’t slow down.
- Gently rinse with salt water to soothe sore gum tissue.
Immediate Dentures: Leave Them In
If you received dentures the same day your teeth were removed, they are called immediate dentures. These teeth aren’t just for looks. They actually help protect your gums, reduce bleeding, and control swelling.
You might want to take them out when you get home. Don’t. Leave them 24 hours per day, even while sleeping, during the first week. Taking them out too soon lets your gums swell, and once that happens, it may be difficult and/or painful getting them back into the mouth. After the first week of healing, swelling from surgery will have stopped and the dentures should come out and go back in much easier.
When removing your dentures for the first time, be sure to thoroughly clean them. Click here for more information about cleaning your dentures.
Potential Complications
Not every recovery goes perfectly with surgery. Some people bleed. Some bruise. Others get infections. Despite what you may commonly read on social media, the vast majority of these issues are not the fault of the dentist. Sometimes bad things happen. The body is not like a car where replacing a few nuts and bolts always fixes the problem. Everyone heals a bit differently depending on their health history, genetics, and how well they take care of themselves after surgery.
The best way to deal with problems after E-day surgery is to recognize them early. Most complications have signs and symptoms that indicate something is off. During the first few weeks after surgery, keep your eyes peeled for the following:
- Infections – Signs of infection include redness, swelling, warmth, and pain localized to the area in question. You may also notice a bad taste in your mouth, fever, sweating, or just feeling run down.
- Excessive Bleeding – A small amount of bleeding in the first few days after E-Day surgery is normal. Sometimes this blood mixes with your spit and looks like there is more than is really there. If you are spitting out excessive amounts of bright red blood, try some of the remedies noted earlier on this page. If these do not work, call your dentist or visit a local emergency clinic.
- Excessive Pain – E-day surgery will always involve some pain, but it is usually manageable with the medications prescribed by your dentist. It is important to take all medications as prescribed and do not skip doses. Excessive pain could be the first sign of infection or other issues such as dry socket. Contact your dentist if the prescribed medications are not handling the pain.
Adjustment Period and Long-Term Care
A week or so after E-day, swelling should have calmed down and you will be feeling quite better. If you look in your mouth, you will notice that your gums are not fully healed and there will likely be dark holes or depressions where your teeth were. These are healing tooth sockets, and they can take up to 6 weeks to close.
If you received immediate dentures, you may notice that they fit nice and tight after your surgery, but they are starting to become loose. This is happening because your gums shrink and change shape as they heal. To get your dentures fitting snugly again, your dentist may perform a soft reline.
Click here for more information about immediate dentures and relines
Over the next few months, your life is going to involve a significant amount of adjustment. Whether you received immediate dentures or you are going without during the healing process, you have a lot of learning to do. Learning how and what to eat. Adjusting how you talk. Changing your social habits. It will take time, but remember, millions of people have done this before you and millions will be doing after as well. You are not alone.
The Bottom Line
You just made a big move for your health. It’s not easy, and it’s not always comfortable, but it’s worth it. Your gums are healing. Your denture is settling in. And your confidence is going to come back – one bite and one smile at a time.
Stick to the plan. Don’t skip appointments. Clean your mouth and denture like it’s your job. And most of all, be patient with yourself. Everyone struggles a little in the beginning.
This is the start of a new chapter. You’re doing the hard part now so things can get easier later. Keep going.