Oral surgery is any procedure where cutting or removing tissue in your mouth is involved. The most common types of oral surgeries are wisdom teeth removal, gum grafts and dental implants.
Recovery is typically very fast. However, we wanted to fill you in on five essential tips to making it the easiest recovery possible.
- Rest! Use this to your advantage, and get some sleep! Let your body recover quickly by taking it easy. Especially the day of and after surgery. To avoid as much swelling as possible – use a pillow to prop your head!
- Do not smoke (ever) but at the very least until you are healed! Smoking puts you at a greater risk for infection or complication as it lengthens your recovery.
- Ice is your friend! Keep an ice pack handy and apply it to your face throughout the first day. Ice reduces inflammation so we recommend you ice on and off for 15 minutes at a time.
- Don’t skip on your meds! It’s very important to stay on top of your recommended pain medications. Take them as directed and don’t forget. Getting behind might be something you end up regretting as they should keep pain very minimal.
- Don’t eat seeds or berries! This is a funny sounding one but it’s important. Eat smooth foods. If you’re making a smoothie don’t use berries. Little tiny seeds can get stuck in your incision sites and that’s never fun.
Of course, there is a whole list of post operative instructions we will give you when you visit us. We hope these tips help!