Frequently Asked Questions

Recovery will vary from patient to patient and from procedure to procedure but in general swelling and discomfort will get worse for the first three days then start improving on the fourth day so that you will be able to do most of your daily activity.

Wait until the numbness wears off to eat. Diet: For the first few days following surgery, eat soft foods and drink fluids (avoiding acidic and carbonated drinks for the first few days.) Avoid using straws as the suction could disturb the clotting. Foods: Eggs, clear soup broth (room temperature), mashed potatoes, pastas, Cream of Wheat (room temperature), milkshakes (spoon only), soft foods, etc. Please Note: If surgery preformed was isolated to one side, patients may gently chew on the opposite side.

Work outs will depend on surgery preformed. Vigorous exercise should be postponed until patient feels fully recovered. This timeline may be four days to one week. Reason for this is workouts include heavy cardiovascular training and can cause further fatigue and throbbing in jaw areas. Running with pounding pressure of the feet on pavement could also induce further discomfort thus resulting in a slower healing recovery. Taking care of your recovery on the early side will allow you to be back on track to your work out sooner. Implants: Advising two to three days. Specific time of recovery will be explained by your oral surgeon. This time line could vary as to the treatment specific implant procedure performed.

Returning to work will vary from patient to patient, in most cases you can expect to allow one, two, or three days of recovery.

After surgery the clots that are newly formed are not yet set. The negative pressure from the suction on a straw will place pressure like a vacuum and will cause the clot to be drawn away from the socket, leaving the socket bare and exposed. Straw can be used after seven days.

A dry socket can be defined as a clot that has failed to form or has been dislodged in the socket and leaving the tooth socket exposed. This will cause a throbbing moderate to severe pain symptoms.

Swelling after surgery can vary from patient to patient. Factors included into consideration are the type of surgery preformed, and the age of patient. Swelling can usually resemble “chipmunk cheeks” or could be felt internally as trismus (stiffness to open and close, along with a limited opening.) these symptom may last for approximately seven days.

Patients are advised to leave denture in until they see their general dentist, which is usually scheduled the next day. If the denture isn’t fitting comfortably the oral surgeon will give patient instructions to leave the denture out until adjustments are made by the general dentist. Controlling the bleeding after multiple teeth are removed is important. Leave the denture in and it can act as a bandage and apply pressure on the denture by biting on the gauze firmly. If the denture can not be placed in ,then gauze with pressure needs to be applied directly for twenty minutes changing every twenty minutes until bleeding has stopped. Please see Post Surgury Care bleeding instructions.

This is an appliance that is made to take the place of a tooth that is removed it usually can be placed in the same day. Your oral surgeon will advise you on the treatment of your stay plate. Note: it is a good health tip to leave the stay plate out of the mouth during sleep time. This will allow the tissue to heal better. If the tissue is consistently covered by the appliance the tissue underneath can and will become red and irritated leaning to delayed healing or infection.

If a patient has a removable retainer this can be inserted after any bleeding has stopped.

Locate the tooth and handle it only by the crown (chewing part of the tooth), not by the root. Do not scrub or use soap or chemicals to clean the tooth. If it has dirt or debris on it, rinse it with your own saliva or whole milk. If that is not possible, rinse it very gently with water. Get to a dentist within 30 minutes. The longer you wait, the less chance there is for re-implantation.

Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons are dentist that have had additional training for 4-6 years who treat conditions, defects, injuries and aesthetics aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws and face. Their training includes a four-year graduate degree in dentistry and the completion of a minimum four-year hospital surgical residency program. Specific treatment include extraction of teeth, implant placement.