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How to Care for My Mouth After Oral Surgery

How to Care for My Mouth After Oral Surgery

By Pasadena Dental Implants

August 18, 2016

Category: Oral Health

Tags: oral surgery

Here are some of the best measures you can take to make sure your mouth heals as quickly as possible.

Whether you’ve just had surgery to treat your gum disease or you had your wisdom teeth removed, it’s important that you know exactly how to care for your smile post-surgery. From the office of your Pasadena, CA periodontist, Dr. Peter Cooper, find out how to care for Oral Surgery your smile to speed up your recovery process.

Bleeding

You may notice some bleeding for about one day after your dental procedure. You can often place sterile gauze over the area and to bite down on it to help control the bleeding. If the bleeding seems heavy or won’t stop, please call our Pasadena gum specialist right away.

Pain

It’s not uncommon to notice some discomfort for at least a day or two after your procedure, depending on the invasiveness of the surgery. You may receive a prescription pain reliever from us to help control your discomfort, but if not, then over-the-counter pain relievers may do the trick. If you are trying an over-the-counter medication, make sure that you follow the instructions exactly as they are written on the bottle.

Swelling

It’s pretty normal to experience some swelling after your surgery. Fortunately, there are a couple of options. You can apply an ice pack (Just make sure to wrap it in a towel first because you never want to apply ice directly to the skin) to the affected side of the face for up to 10 minutes. You can also ice several times a day.

If you are looking to medications that can also reduce swelling then it’s time to try an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory like Aleve or Tylenol, which can temporarily relieve both pain and swelling. Depending on the type of procedure you go through, we may also prescribe you a stronger medication to treat your post-surgical symptoms.

Diet

It’s important to stay hydrated and to drink enough fluids. Until your mouth heals, you’ll want to stay away from any food or drink that is hot. As we will mention to you before you leave our office, you’ll want to stick to a soft foods diet until otherwise instructed. Foods like eggs, yogurt, pasta, soup and fish are only some of the safe foods you can enjoy.

Your Oral Routine

Until your mouth heals, how you care for your smile will most likely change for the interim. We may provide you with a special oral rinse to use after your surgery to help keep teeth clean. We also recommend warm salt water rinses several times a day, which can also help with pain and swelling. We will also let you know when you can begin brushing and flossing your teeth again, but you will want to be exceedingly gentle on treated areas.

If you have questions about caring for your smile, particularly after oral surgery, don’t hesitate to call Pasadena Dental Implants in Pasadena, CA. Dr. Cooper is here to address all of your questions and concerns.

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