The moment your dentist tells you that you need to undergo an oral surgery, anxiety within you kicks in right away. You start to wonder if it’ll hurt or will it alter your lifestyle. The truth is – an oral surgeon is well-trained for this procedure. As long as you strictly follow the oral surgery post op instructions, this procedure may not be that dangerous. These instructions may be available on the web, but it’s still important to take note of that the dental surgeon has told you.
It is the goal of the oral surgeon that the recovery will be as comfortable and smooth as possible. Nevertheless, it’s should also be a goal for the patient to follow the provided oral surgery post op instructions. Through this approach, swelling and pain can be minimized, plus, the risk of acquiring infection or any other complications will be lessened.
In most cases, the oral surgeon would immediately prescribe and ask you to take Advil or Ibuprofen. This should be taken every six hours for the first two days. It’s important to take an analgesic right away after the surgery and before the local anesthesia will wear off. This will ensure that pain sensation will be minimized.
The gauze pack placed on the surgical site should be well-secured by biting them down firmly. It’s also recommended to moisten the gauze with clean tap water.
Another suggestion to prevent bleeding is to avoid drinking alcohol, smoking or even rinsing48 hours after your surgery. If the oral surgery has prescribed an antibiotic mouthwash, use it gently during bedtime on the night after your surgery.
It’s very common to experience swelling just after your surgery. To minimize swelling, apply ice packs firmly near the surgical area. Application can be done for 20 minutes and should be taken off for 20 minutes. Repeat the cycle 24 hours after the surgery. However, this should be stopped after 24 hours.
Aside from swelling, jaw stiffness may also be expected. To prevent or reduce this episode, you can stretch your mouth open using two fingers every hour.
You may also begin to feel nauseous after surgery or once the anesthesia has worn off, but it improves in four to six hours. To prevent nausea, avoid food intake unless you’re already hungry. To prevent dehydration, you can sip small amount of clear liquid. If nausea is triggered by your analgesic, ask your dentist to prescribe Maalox before taking the pain medication and make sure to drink plenty of water.
It is very important to observe strict and proper hygiene after oral surgery. Aside from taking prescribed mouthwash, you can also use ¼ teaspoon of salt which is dissolved in an eight ounce glass filled with warm water. Repeat this process as lest twice a day.
Commercial mouthwashes are discouraged due to possible irritation of the surgical site. It’s also not recommended to brush the surgical site for at least two weeks. Nevertheless, you are do encouraged to brush and floss any other areas of the teeth.
