How long is recovery from oral surgery

If you have an upcoming oral surgery, you may some anxiety about all of the unknowns involved, including questions about the recovery process. In general, oral surgeries today happen in just one day in a few hours. Patients are sent home with a detailed list of post-operative instructions and are back on their feet and fully recovered in just a few days. There are things you can do to make sure your recovery goes as smoothly as possible, below is more information on the post recovery process.

Tips to a quicker recovery

The most important thing you can do to make sure you recover quickly from your oral surgery is following your surgeon’s or dentist’s instructions. Another important tip is to be prepared in advance of the surgery. Have your home stalked with the foods that are recommended by your dentist for the few days after surgery. Have a friend or family member available to help drive you home and potentially to pick up a prescription for a pain medication. Either way, recovery should be your primary concern after the oral surgery, so make sure you don’t have things planned that will need your time and
attention.

What to expect

After the surgery there are some normal complications you should expect. These are all a part of the healing process.

  • Bleeding after a tooth extraction is common for up to 24 hours after surgery. Your dentist or the surgeon will provide you with some gauze that you should bite down on if you are bleeding. If you continue to have bleeding for more than 24 hours and the bleeding is more than light than you should contact your dentist or surgeon.
  • Swelling is also common and a normal response to dental work. To help reduce the swelling in your mouth and cheeks try to keep your head elevated with pillows. Another trick is to use ice packs on the outside of your face. For most patients, swelling is reduced 7-10 days after oral surgery.
  • Pain after surgery can vary depending on what type of procedure you had done and how extensive it was. For wisdom tooth extraction, when teeth are impacted, more pain may result from the procedure. Your dentist or surgeon will prescribe any pain management medication they think will be necessary to help minimize your pain and help you recover comfortably.

How long is recovery

While the healing process takes a bit longer, the recovery period post oral surgery is relatively quick. However, at minimum, you should expect to rest for at least 2 days after surgery. You should take this into consideration when you are scheduling your surgery to make sure you have a free few days were minimal activity is required. Your dentist will also recommend that you keep physical activity to a minimum for the 2-3 days following.

Oral Hygiene After Surgery

One of the best ways to make sure you recover quickly from an oral surgery is to be conscious of your oral hygiene. Keeping the surgical site clean is very important to the healing. Immediately after surgery, any spitting or sucking should be avoided for at least 24-hours. These behaviors can cause the blood clots that need to form to be damaged or dislodged. You should still attempt to brush your teeth gently and rinse your mouth out with water. Additionally, no smoking or tobacco use should occur for at least a week after surgery. Smoking can delay the healing process and do damage to the healing tissue.

Learn More About Oral Surgery : Oral Surgery Frequently Asked Questions