What Not to Do When Recovering from Oral Surgery
It’s important to know what to do after oral surgery, but it’s equally important to know what not to do. If you come to California Dental Group for oral surgery, you can count on us to provide you with comprehensive instructions before you leave our office. However, we are also happy to provide some tips on our blog. If you have questions, reach out to us at (800) 407-0161.
Don’t take on too much in the days after your surgery
Even if you feel great and have minimal pain, you should be careful not to exert yourself. This means not bending over repeatedly, no heavy lifting, and no strenuous exercise. Follow these guidelines for at least two but preferably three days after your surgery.
Don’t eat or drink anything hot while you’re still numb
If you leave your oral surgery and decide to head out for a cup of coffee, you could be in a world of pain in a few hours. Why? Because you’ll be too numb to feel pain. As a result, you may guzzle coffee that’s much hotter than you think it is. For the same reason, be sure not to bite or chew your lip or cheek.
Skip hard and crunchy foods for months
Yes, that’s right – you’ll want to skip hard and crunchy foods (like carrots and popcorn) for six to eight weeks after your surgery. However, there is good news – it only applies to the area of your surgery. So if you have surgery on the left side of your mouth, just avoid chewing anything hard or crunchy on that side for a few months.
Don’t brush or floss until your dentist tells you to
It’s likely that you can follow your normal home oral care plans right away on the side of your mouth that hasn’t undergone surgery. However, you don’t want to brush or floss the area that was worked on until your dentist tells you that you can. Once you get the go ahead, make sure that you are careful around that area until it’s 100% healed.
Don’t smoke
Ideally, you wouldn’t smoke ever again after your surgery, but of course that’s not realistic for some people. At the very least, we hope that you won’t smoke for the remainder of the day after your surgery. Remember that smoking can actually get in the way of the healing process. The sucking motion can also cause blood clots to come loose, which can further delay the healing process.
Don’t drink for at least 24 hours
Likewise, alcohol can interfere with the healing process. Even more, remember that alcohol can also interact with various medications you’re taking. It’s likely best to hold off on alcohol until you’re healed.
If you have questions about these suggestions, or you want to schedule an appointment to have your teeth looked at, reach out to California Dental Group at (800) 407-0161 right away for your appointment.
