Did your dentist in Kenosha Wisconsin refer you to an oral surgeon? If yes, it only means one thing, you are about to undergo surgery. There are a couple of reasons why dental surgery may be necessary. The most common reasons for dental surgery are wisdom tooth extraction and dental implant placement. Wisdom tooth extraction is a surgical procedure to remove an impacted wisdom tooth. Without surgery, an impacted wisdom tooth will result in intensifying tooth pain, cause your teeth to shift and become misaligned, and predispose you to tooth decay and gum disease especially if some parts of your wisdom tooth cut through the gums. Dental implant placement also needs surgery. Dental implants are biocompatible metal screws that your oral surgeon will insert into your jawbone. This is done by incising your gum tissues to expose the underlying bone. Attached to the implants are connectors or abutments. Once the abutments are in place, your oral surgeon will affix your artificial teeth to restore your smile.
After the surgery, pain, swelling, and discomfort are expected but they don’t last long. However, if you want to speed up the recovery process there are some things you need to do.
Do’s and Don’ts To Speed Up The Recovery Process
Do’s
Rest guiltlessly – if you consider yourself a workaholic, now is the time to truly enjoy and savor your much-needed break. Take it easy and allow yourself to relax so that your body can recover from the surgery. Avoid strenuous physical activities. When you sleep, prop your head up with pillows to prevent bleeding and swelling.
Your ice is your best friend – apply an ice pack on the side of the face where the surgery took place. Place it there for about 15 minutes on and off to reduce the swelling.
Soft diet – avoid eating hard and chew foods right after surgery. If you do, you might bleed. After the surgery, your oral surgeon will give you post-op instructions and one of the instructions is to go on a soft diet for a few days like smoothies, mashed potatoes, milkshakes, and yogurts.
Antibiotics – take your antibiotics as prescribed by your oral surgeon. Taking antibiotics is considered prophylaxis so you won’t get an infection after the surgery.
Clean your mouth – make sure your mouth is clean. Although you’re not advised to brush your teeth immediately after surgery you are required to keep them clean. You can do this by rinsing your mouth with lukewarm saline water (mix a teaspoon of salt in one glass of lukewarm water) four times a day. Do it after having a snack or a meal. Swish it gently to remove food particles in the surgical site.
Brush gently – if your dentist or oral surgeon gives you the go signal to brush your teeth, don’t brush it vigorously. Do it as gently as you can. Skip the surgical site for now. Rinsing it will do. Wait until the site is completely healed before you can resume brushing and flossing. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush when cleaning your teeth.
Healthy food – strive to prepare meals that are rich in vitamins A and C as these two are crucial in speeding up healing. Examples of foods that are rich in vitamins A and C are carrots, sweet potatoes, fish, and eggs.
Takeaway
The simplest way to speed up the recovery and healing process is to simply listen to your dentist or oral surgeon and follow their advice. If, after the surgery, you experience intense pain that doesn’t get resolved even after taking medications, you develop a fever that lasts for more than a day post-op, if you bleed and if pus is coming out of the surgical site then you need to call your dentist ASAP because you might be experiencing a post-op infection.