02 May How Long Will It Take to Recover From Oral Surgery?
When you’re preparing for oral surgery, it can help to know how long the recovery period will last. Planning for the healing process will help you optimize your recovery time, whether you’re having a tooth extraction or a dental implant procedure.
It’s important to listen to your surgeon and follow their instructions to ensure a full recovery. Here’s what to expect during oral surgery recovery.
The First 24 Hours
Like any other surgery, during the first 24 hours after your oral surgery, you will be advised to rest and avoid any physical activity.
If you were sedated during the process, there’s even more reason to rest up as you come around from the anesthetic. This also means you should organize a ride home after the surgery instead of driving, as you will probably feel drowsy and disoriented.
If you experience discomfort and swelling, place ice on your jaw for 30 minutes, then remove it for 15 minutes, and continue this cycle to help soothe any pain. When brushing your teeth, you should brush gently with warm water and rinse your mouth with saltwater.
The First Couple of Days
Over the next couple of days, you can begin returning to normality, such as work or school, but we advise taking it easy as your body will still be recovering. You might need to continue applying ice on days 2 and 3.
If you had stitches as part of your oral surgery, they will begin to fall out during this time. Sometimes your stitches might have to be removed by your surgeon. Continue to brush gently, as you don’t want to cause any bleeding.
One Week
After the first week of your oral surgery, your swelling should have completely gone down and any stiffness should be gone. Some patients will have been given antibiotics to prevent infections from occurring. By the first week to ten days of your recovery, your course of antibiotics will probably have run out.
If the swelling has not gone down, you should contact your surgeon to address your concerns and make sure there are no infections or other problems.
Two Weeks
Within two weeks, you should be fully recovered from your oral surgery. At this point, schedule an appointment with your dentist. Even if you feel fine, your dentist will want to examine the area of your oral surgery. They will be able to assess how well you are healing and if any further action needs to be taken.
Get in Touch
If you have any concerns regarding your oral surgery or the recovery process, please get in touch with COOMSA today to arrange an appointment and speak to one of our dentists.
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