What to Expect After Oral Surgery Procedure
In most cases, the recovery period lasts only a few days. Take painkillers and antibiotics as prescribed by your dentist or oral surgeon. The following tips will help speed your recovery.
- Normal reactions after surgery: individual amount of swelling, pain, mouth-opening restriction, sensibility and some bleeding on the first day.
- While your mouth is numb, be careful not to bite the inside of your cheek or lip, or your tongue. When the impact of the anaesthesia has passed (about 2-3 hours) you may eat. Avoid hot and spicy food and drinks as well as milk products ( yogurt, cream, cheese, milk, etc) in the few coming days.
- Avoid rubbing the area with your tongue or touching it with your fingers.
- Do not lie flat. This may prolong swelling. Prop up your head with pillows.
- Use an ice pack on the outside of your cheek for the first 24 hours, for a maximum of 10 minutes every hour.
- Relax after surgery. Avoid physical activity, sports, sauna, etc as it may increase bleeding and swelling.
- The day of surgery brush your teeth except the surgical area but from the next day on pay extra attention to brush that area with a soft toothbrush!
- Do not smoke for at least 24 hours after your surgery, and try to cut down on smoking in the following weeks as well. Smoking delays healing, decreases the blood supply and can bring germs and contaminants to the surgery area.
- Control and stitch-removal after one week.