Patients who require dental surgery often feel nervous about their recovery process and want guidance on preparing.
It’s important to remember that although the procedures in the dentist's office aren’t as intensive or invasive as those done on the body, they still require recovery time.
Depending on the procedure, you may need a short or long recovery period. Regardless of the procedure, you should know some tips for increasing your post-dental surgery recovery.
In this article, we will give you all the information on how to prepare for dental implant recovery, and these tips can also be used for various dental procedures.
What to Expect
Post-dental surgery or oral surgery, you should be prepared to have a small amount of blood in your saliva, particularly for the first 24-48 hours. This is normal and should not cause concern.
However, if you are experiencing excessive bleeding, you can use a gauze pad in the mouth to mitigate it, which can be bought or provided by the dentist's office. If you are experiencing a lot of bleeding, you should place the gauze pad over the incision site or source of bleeding and lightly bite down on it for around 30 minutes. If there is still a lot of blood after that, you should call your dentist for further instruction.
Be Prepared to Rest
On the day of your procedure or oral surgery, you’ll want to get plenty of rest. Plan to either take the day off work or schedule your appointment at a time when you have the weekend to relax.
Particularly for the first 24 hours after oral or dental surgery, you may experience moderate pain or discomfort, swelling, soreness, or bleeding. The other aspect is that you may be drowsy or unalert after a procedure, and resting can help protect you from accidents or falls.
Drink Plenty of Water
Prepare for post-dental surgery recovery by having ample fluids in the house and plenty of water. You should drink around two litres of water daily, which can be a challenge for those who may not have that as a daily habit. If needed, buy other flavoured hydrating drinks that do not include sugar.
Stock up on Soft Foods
During the day or days following dental surgery, you may be asked by your dentist to eat soft foods for the next week. These can include yoghurt, avocado, bananas, baked beans, pudding, jelly, smoothies, etc.
Although many people think soup is a good option for soft food, the mouth is sensitive post-dental surgery, and the temperature may be too hot, so it’s always best to opt for colder foods.
You should have some dishes prepared before, so you don’t have to cook in the first 24 hours post-surgery. After a few days, you’ll be allowed to return to a normal diet, but it will depend on the swelling and sensitivity in the area.
Patients Should Try to Avoid Touching The Area
Incisions can feel sensitive, and depending on your dental surgery, the implants or changes may feel slightly odd.
Most patients experience some sensations in their mouth during the healing process that make them want to touch the implants or area of surgery, they even have the urge to rinse their mouths out with water, but as much as possible, it's best to hold off. Especially on the days following the dental surgery, you must allow the area to heal and avoid aggravating the incisions.
Buy an Ice Pack
Some patients have minimal swelling while others have quite a bit. Regardless, you will want to have one or two ice packs. Icing the area will reduce discomfort and swelling and speed up the healing process.
An icing schedule that works for most is 15 minutes on 15-20 minutes off. Try to give the skin enough time off from the cold so that it doesn’t cause ice burn and deprive the skin of oxygen. You should have two ice packs, as, after 15 minutes, the pack may not have had time to refreeze.
You should look for gel-based ice packs because they can move with the contours of your face and won’t cause any pain or roughness. If in a bind, a towel with ice cubes will work, although it can be slightly messy.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
Oral hygiene is always important, but after dental surgery, it’s imperative to avoid infection and aid in the healing process. If you’re getting implants, such as is offered at Next Smile™ with the All-on-4® treatment concept, be sure to rinse twice a day with mouth wash provided by the dentist.
You can prepare for your post-dental surgery recovery by having a baby toothbrush with very soft bristles. You want to avoid the surgical site during brushing but adequately brush the rest of the teeth and tongue.
Follow brushing with a saltwater rinse consisting of warm water and one teaspoon of salt. You should use the salt water rinse at least three to four times a day, ideally after every time you eat.
Activity Levels
When recovering from dental surgery, you’ll want to limit your intense physical activity. You shouldn’t exercise or frequent the gym for two to three days.
Walks and light to moderate activity are fine, but more difficult exercise can increase blood pressure and lead to more bleeding. An easy way to tell if it’s time to resume exercise is to notice sensations in your mouth. If you’re doing a physically intensive activity and feel throbbing in your mouth or begin to bleed, you should discontinue the workout.
After around three days, you should be able to return to your normal physical activity.
Logistics Of Dental Surgery
Each procedure and oral surgery requires different pain medication, which will dictate if you will be able to drive yourself home or need a friend or family member to pick you up.
As a patient, it’s always best to ask plenty of questions before the day of the procedure so that you’ll know what to expect in terms of logistics and expected discomfort to make the correct travel plans.
Your dentists will give you post-surgery or procedure instructions, and when possible, ask for a printout so that you can take it home and refer back to it as needed. These instructions must be followed, and you will want to have them close by if you forget any details.
Patients who’ve scheduled or are considering getting dental implants through the All-on-4® treatment at Next Smile™ Sydney can prepare for post-dental surgery in various ways, from oral hygiene to scheduling and travel plans.
At Next Smile™ Sydney, you can feel assured that your dental surgery will be as painless, quick, and effective as possible. All our experienced dentists have been trained by Dr Paulo Malo, who pioneered the use of the All-on-4® treatment for permanent teeth replacement, so you couldn’t be in better hands.