Dental surgery isn’t exactly something anyone wants to go through, but sometimes it’s necessary. Even if you need dental surgery, you can get control over your own recovery and take steps to support your mouth as it heals. Here are our dentist-approved tips for recovery from dental surgery. Take a look and ensure you read them before your dental surgery in Lakewood so you’re fully prepared.
Why Might I Need Dental Surgery In Lakewood, CO?
There are a few reasons you may end up needing dental surgery or laser surgery in Lakewood, CO, including:
- Tongue-ties: A tongue-tie can impact feeding, speaking, sleeping, chronic pain, and a whole host of other issues!
- Tooth & wisdom tooth extraction: Gentle removal of a tooth that cannot be saved, a tooth extraction can get you out of pain or prevent infection.
- Dental implants: Dental implants are surgically placed in your jawbone to restore your ability to chew or your appearance.
- Gum recontouring and removal of extra gum tissue: This helps re-shape your gums so that you can get the smile of your dreams.
- Biopsies: During oral surgery, we can obtain a portion of your oral cavity for examination to determine if it is cancerous or not.
Regardless of the type of dental surgery, there are mild complications that can come from it.
What Kinds of Complications from Dental Surgery are Possible?
There are a variety of potential complications after dental surgery, though most are mild. Your oral surgeon will go over your specific risks with you, prior to your procedure. Take note of any emergency signs so that you’re ready if the symptoms start to show.
Our Tips for Recovery from Dental Surgery
Healing from dental surgery takes time. But, if you follow your oral surgeon’s advice and follow up with your regular dentist as soon as possible after your procedure, you should be feeling better soon. Here are some tips for recovery from dental surgery to promote your own healing and feel more comfortable, too:
- Rest: Even though your surgery takes place in your mouth, you still probably shouldn’t walk around or exert yourself much afterwards. Your body’s working overtime to recover. The more energy you can conserve, the faster your recovery will be.
- Follow directions: Your surgeon will likely leave you with instructions about post-surgery care, including how much and when to take medicine. Even though it may be tempting to skip some of the instructions, it’s wise to follow them. Taking medicine, rinsing your mouth with saltwater, and getting proper rest as the doctor ordered will all help you recover quickly and avoid post-op infections.
- Adjust your brushing: Usually, you should not be brushing or flossing the parts of your mouth which were just involved in the surgery. However, it is still important to gently brush and floss the non-involved teeth and areas. This ultimately depends on the type of dental surgery you receive. In some cases, you may need to hold off on brushing for a time.
- Monitor blood flow: Surgery always causes a little bleeding. After the procedure, you will receive a gauze strip to hold in your mouth to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding gets worse or does not stop completely in 24 hours, you should reach out to your surgeon.
- Adjust habits: Some habits will have a bigger impact on your mouth’s health just after surgery. If you can, you should avoid smoking for at least three days after your surgery. Until healed, you should also avoid using a straw, drinking carbonated beverages, or drinking alcohol.
- Change diet: After surgery, for your own comfort, you should try to only eat soft or liquid foods. You can blend up your normal food into a puree. Or you can switch to other options like smoothies, broth, apple sauce, yogurt, milkshakes and more.
- Chew soft: When you are eating solid foods, especially avoid those that are hard or chewy, from whole apples to beef jerky.
Meet the Doctor Providing High-Quality Dental Laser Surgery in Lakewood
Place yourself in good hands with Dr. Elizabeth Turner. She and her team provide high-quality laser surgery, and will support you through your dental surgery recovery process. Schedule your next appointment with her and she’ll get to know you and evaluate your unique needs for surgery or other dental support.
