Tips to Help With Oral Surgery Recovery

You may be feeling relieved after your oral surgery is complete, but you still need to be careful because a number of problems can arise after your surgery. There are a few steps to follow to ensure a quick and easy recovery free of issues.

Our team recommends a few simple tips to follow that will help you recover fully from any oral surgery. Most of these tips are simple recommendations, such as taking it easy for a few days. Though they may be simple, they can help you feel better in no time. You can always contact our dentists for help with recovery, especially if a problem comes along.

Here are the simple steps to follow to recover quickly from oral surgery:

1. Make Sure to Take it Easy.

The last thing you want to do immediately after oral surgery is to bite off more than you can chew; both literally and figuratively. We recommend resting and taking things slow for a day or two. Strenuous activities could open up wounds that have just been sewn up. It wasn’t that long ago that you were bleeding profusely from your mouth, so keep that in mind. Also, you’ll likely be on medications that will make you drowsy and slow your reaction time, so be careful driving and stay away from operating other heavy machinery.

2. Apply Ice.

It might be uncomfortable, but applying an ice pack to your mouth and face can help ease the swelling caused by oral surgery. We recommend taking an ice pack to the spot where swelling is the worst and leaving it there for 15-30 minutes before removing it for 15 minutes, then applying again in 15-minute intervals. You can stop using the ice pack once you notice that the swelling has subsided.

3. Eat Smartly.

Since your mouth is still recovering and you’ll likely be in some discomfort, it’s best to avoid hard or crunchy foods, as well as hot food or drinks. The best foods for your mouth during the immediate recovery time are soft, cool foods like yogurt or applesauce. We also recommend sticking to a diet full of Vitamins A and C to help strengthen and heal your mouth.

4. Take Your Meds.

If your dentist has given you antibiotics or pain meds, you should take them. They have given you these prescriptions for a reason. Pain meds will help ease your pain, while antibiotics will prevent infections. Take these medications as prescribed by your dentist.

5. Call Us For Help

heal on your own without issue, but if there is a complication, call us immediately. You’ll want to call the dentist if your dressing has come undone, you can’t stop bleeding, your face swells excessively, your face goes numb, you’re in unbearable pain, or you have an allergic reaction to medication. You should also schedule a post-surgery follow-up appointment so we can check in with you and make sure everything has healed properly and the surgery was effective.

Contact us today for more post-oral surgery tips if you’re in Williamsville, NY; Amherst, NY; or Buffalo, NY and the surrounding areas.