If you must undergo oral surgery, like wisdom teeth removal or dental implants, you may be nervous about the pain during recovery. Unfortunately, all oral surgery comes with some amount of pain and discomfort, but by following your surgeon’s aftercare instructions carefully, you can alleviate pain while recovering. This article is going to provide some basic “do’s” and “don’ts” when it comes to reducing pain after oral surgery.

 

Do’s

One of the most important things to remember while recovering from oral surgery is to follow the instructions your maxillofacial surgeon gave you. While recovery for each person may vary, there are a few things every patient should do.

Take it easy. After surgery, you’re probably not going to be feeling all the great. It’s important to listen to your body and get the rest you need. Lying down and avoiding too much physical activity will allow your body to rest and begin repairing itself from the procedure.

Stick to a soft-food diet. While you may be craving a big, juicy burger, you’re going to cause yourself pain if you try to jump right back into your normal eating habits. Instead, try sticking to soft foods like yogurt, Jello, soup, smoothies, and mashed potatoes. This will decrease the risk of causing irritation to the surgical site.

Keep up with oral hygiene. Your maxillofacial surgeon will tell you when you’re allowed to rinse your mouth and brush your teeth. When this time comes, it’s important to keep your mouth as clean as possible. This includes things like rinsing with warm water, brushing after meals, and keeping food out of the surgical site. Trapped food may cause irritation or infection, so it’s important to keep up with the cleaning.

Don’ts

You will be provided strict guidelines of what not to do following your oral surgery, but there are a few important things to remember.

Don’t drink alcohol or smoke right away. Both smoking and drinking alcohol can inhibit your mouth from healing as quickly as it can. Furthermore, inhaling smoke can possibly dislodge clots that need to form for the surgical site to heal. Because of this, try to wait at least a day or two before smoking.

Don’t consume hot food or drinks. Your mouth will most likely be numb for a while after the procedure, you won’t be able to feel pain from too-hot drinks or food. This can lead to burning your mouth, which will cause more pain and require further healing.

Don’t forget to take prescription medication. If your maxillofacial surgeon has prescribed medication, like antibiotics or pain medication, and has given you strict guidelines for taking them, make sure to follow them. Skipping out on important medications, especially antibiotics, can have severe consequences. So be sure to finish a prescription when necessary.

 

It’s important to remember that your pain should be getter better every day after surgery, so if it gets worse then something may be wrong. If you choose an experienced oral surgeon and follow these tips and your surgeon’s instructions carefully, you’ll be recovered from your wisdom tooth extraction in no time. Fortunately, today’s technology makes oral surgery more efficient and effective. In fact, according to scientific literature, dental implants have a 98% success rate. But if you have any concerns, like excessive bleeding, the formation of dry sockets, or possible infection, contact your surgeon’s office for further instructions.