How long do you have to change the gauze after a tooth extraction?

Following a typical tooth extraction, a person changes gauze out one or two times at home. St. Louis County Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery recommends changing gauze after 30 minutes, while Dr. Mark F. Kozacko suggests keeping gauze in for an hour and changing it if necessary.

One gauze change is possible but a second is common with excessive bleeding, according to SLCOMS. Excessive bleeding is pooling and dripping within 15 or 20 seconds of gauze removal. Dr. Kozacko suggests that a person check the gauze every 60 seconds and replace it when it is saturated. When a person is ready to chew soft food, he should remove the gauze.