Preparing For Recovery: What Life is Like After Oral Surgery

If you need oral surgery either to remove a wisdom tooth, have dental implants placed or some other health reason – it is important to know what to expect.  In our office, we like to inform patients so that the time spent after the surgery goes as smoothly and as comfortably as possible.  We understand that most people don’t want surgery.  It is invasive by nature, and a recovery time is required.  This can make it inconvenient at best.  Still, when surgery is necessary, it is important to schedule the procedure for right away so that you can begin the recovery process and move on with life.

In our office, we are focused on patient comfort which is why sedation is so critical.  We provide various levels of sedation to ensure that our patients can relax, rather than being stressed, during their procedure.  The level of sedation we provide is based on the procedure and overall health of the patient so we can give you an exact idea of what to expect during your consultation.  In general, the thing to remember is that we will help you to feel comfortable and relaxed, regardless of the procedure being performed.  That’s good news because it means you don’t have to focus on the procedure itself and can instead prepare for what will happen afterwards.

It is common to have some bleeding so we will provide you with gauze in order to control and stop it.  We may also give you an antibiotic to take to reduce the risk of infection.  Immediately after your procedure, you will still be under the effects of anesthesia and sleepy.  We recommend taking advantage of this and having someone give you a ride home and put you immediately to bed. This is one of the best ways to recover from oral surgery because you can simply sleep it off.

If you have a friend or family member, that can stay with you for a day or two that is the best case scenario.  While you will be able to care for yourself, it is much nicer to have someone else walk to and from the freezer with your ice packs.  If, however, you are on your own you should prepare the night before by putting extra pillows on your bed so that you can recline while relaxing.  You should also buy water bottles and place them on your nightstand along with ibuprofen and something soft to eat, like a pudding cup.  It will be a few days before you may want to eat normal foods so make sure that you have plenty of soft things in the house – a perfect reason to eat ice cream.

You should also place your ice packs into the freezer and make sure that you have several.  You can start to feel better after oral surgery by icing your face to keep the swelling down.  Ice for fifteen minutes at a time with a rest in between.  This will help you control any swelling without the need for medication.  If you notice that you are experiencing any strange symptoms or discomfort, call our office so that we can examine and treat you if necessary.