As a dental patient, your number one job after oral surgery is focusing on your recovery. Your dentist should provide you with a list of aftercare procedures, but here is some additional information that you should know.
You will need a little time off work.
Oral surgery is just like any other type of surgery -- and you need rest in order to recover properly. Anticipate the need for at least two days off work in order to give yourself plenty of time to get through the post-surgical phase. Keep in mind that you'll likely need pain medication for a few days, so line up someone to drive you anywhere you need to go.
Don't spit, use a straw, or smoke.
You need to take some extra precautions with your oral care for several days after your surgery. Spitting, using a straw, and smoking can cause complications. All three activities require you to move your mouth in a way that can dislodge the blood clots that normally form over the site of an oral wound. If that happens, it can leave the bone in your jaw exposed. This is what dentists refer to as "dry socket," and it's extremely painful.
Bleeding and swelling are normal.
Slight bleeding and swelling are common after oral surgery, particularly if your molars are involved. If the bleeding is troublesome, you can press a plain black tea bag into place over the surgical site and bite down. The tea has tannic acid that helps assist blood to clot, which will speed up your healing process.
You may experience certain side effects for several weeks.
There are some side-effects of oral surgery -- particularly extractions -- that can go on for several months. You may feel tenderness deep in your jaw for several months following an extraction because the bone takes longer to heal than your gumline. You may also periodically experience pain that resembles a toothache. If you do, check to see if a small tooth fragment is moving up through your gum. That's called a bone chip, and it's normal. Oragel or another oral analgesic that you buy over the counter can reduce the pain.
Make sure that you review all your post-surgical instructions with your dentist prior to your surgery -- you probably won't feel up to it immediately after! If you experience any unusual complications or develop a fever, contact your dentist immediately.
Share11 September 2018
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