How Long Does It Take to Recover from an Oral Surgery?

What Is Oral Surgery?

It is any dental procedure that involves cutting tissues in the oral cavity. Oral surgeries near you target soft tissues in various parts of the oral cavity, including the gums, lips, palatal, or throat.

Common Types of Oral Surgeries in Dentistry

A dentist near you can perform many types of surgeries to treat your dental health. Since all parts of your oral cavity can need surgery at one point in life, there are many types of oral surgeries. The common ones are:

1. Tooth extraction – is perhaps the most common oral surgery in Terre Haute, IN. a tooth extraction entails permanently pulling out a tooth from its socket. Simple tooth extractions do not necessitate surgeries. However, when removing an impacted tooth or problematic wisdom tooth, oral surgery is often necessary.
2. Dental implants – are oral appliances for replacing the roots of missing teeth. Dental implants provide a permanent solution to tooth loss. However, to get them, surgery is paramount.
3. Bone grafting surgery – is a procedure for repairing and restoring damaged bone tissue in your jawbone. Typically, bone grafting surgeries are performed when patients want to get dental implants to replace their lost teeth.
4. Gum grafting surgery – is a procedure for restoring damaged gum tissue. Dentists at Luke Staley Family Dentistry use this surgery to treat periodontitis, an advanced stage of gum disease.
5. Gum reduction surgery – is a cosmetic procedure for treating a gummy smile. The surgery removes excess gum tissue so you can smile without too much of it showing.
6. Tonsillectomy – is a procedure for removing tonsils from your throat. While they are the first line of your body’s defense mechanism, enlarged tonsils become problematic to your oral health, breathing, and overall body health. A tonsillectomy removes problematic tonsils, particularly when they do not respond well to other treatments.
7. Frenectomy – is a surgery common in pediatric dentistry for improving the mobility and flexibility of the tongue. The procedure entails loosening the frenulum, a small tissue connecting the tongue to the floor of the mouth.

Other surgeries can revolve around removing precancerous cells, non-cancerous tumors, and other foreign bodies in your oral cavity.

How Long Must You Heal After an Oral Surgery?

Recovery differs from one patient to another in light of the type of oral surgery you undergo. Typically, after any dental surgery, the surgeon will ask you to rest for the first 48-72 hours. It is enough time for your body to form a blood clot at the surgical site so that healing can commence. After that, the recovery period can take anywhere between 3 and 4 weeks, to 3 and 6 months. for many oral surgeries, recovery takes about 3 weeks. Procedures like dental implants, however, require more healing time.

How to Speed Up the Healing Process After Oral Surgery

Even though you will still need to go through the healing process for a while, some factors can speed up your recovery, making it as comfortable an experience as possible. They include the following:

1. Rest – it is not a waste of time to lie down for up to three days after oral surgery. Resting is crucial to allow your body time to focus on healing only. Even after the first three days of absolute rest, minimize the weight of the tasks you do. Take it easy for the first one or two weeks after your surgery.
2. Eat healthily – healthy meal plans will provide your body with all necessary nutrients to establish a strong immune system. Besides, your body needs the energy to focus on healing the surgical site.
3. Hydrate – Drink plenty of water. It will help flush toxins out of your oral cavity and body, creating a healthy environment for optimal healing.
4. Keep your mouth clean – although you need to be careful when brushing your teeth around the wound, do not skip your oral hygiene routine. If you do, you risk infecting your wound, which further slows your healing process.
5. Take prescribed medication – dentists will often recommend different medications after oral surgeries. Pain medication and antibiotics are great during your recovery. They will help alleviate the pain and inflammation while preventing infection on the surgical site.