INSTRUCTIONS FOLLOWING ORAL SURGERY
Local Anaesthetic
The local anaesthetic will make you feel numb for a least a couple of hours. Beware not to eat or drink something hot as you will not be able to judge temperature and may scold yourself. Don’t be tempted to chew or touch the numb area.
Surgical site
The surgical site immediately forms a blood clot, which is the first phase of healing. It is important you do not dislodge this blood clot so that the healing is not disturbed. Therefore, do not rinse your mouth out or touch the area for the rest of the day in order to leave the blood clot in place. Brush your teeth as normal but avoid the surgical area and you may choose to dribble the water rather than spit it out.
Keeping the area clean
From the day after surgery, the blood clot should be more secure so you should keep the area clean by rinsing gently with either lukewarm salty water or any mouthwash of your choice. The advised time to do this is after you eat any food in order to wash the debris from the area. The surgeon may advise you to use a specific mouthwash but this is not normally necessary.
Eating
You may eat and drink as normal but you may choose to eat food that is easier to chew. A liquid diet is unnecessary but eating crunchy foods may be uncomfortable and disrupt the surgical site. You must avoid hot food and drink.
Stitches
You may have had stitches in your gum. If this is the case and unless the surgeon has told you otherwise, they will dissolve. This may take up to 3 weeks.
Bleeding
A little bleeding is not uncommon and is of no concern. Sleep with a towel over your pillow on the day of surgery in case you dribble a little blood. Your saliva may be stained a little pink from the blood clot. Don’t be concerned by confusing this with actual bleeding. Profuse bleeding that gushes or fills your mouth is very unlikely and should be managed by tightly placing a tissue or the gauze provided and biting extremely hard on it for at least 20 minutes. Firm pressure almost always stops bleeding.
Pain relief
Surgery on any area of the body may cause some discomfort afterwards in much the same way as you would expect after any other operation. It is therefore advisable to take painkillers before the numbness wears off. The jawbone would heal in a similar way to your leg or arm or any other part of your body after an operation. Don’t be surprised or concerned by this.
The discomfort should be managed by taking regular painkillers such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, if your medical history allows it. If you are taking any medication, please confirm with your surgeon that routine painkillers are appropriate for you to take. Ibuprofen reduces swelling as well as treating discomfort. Although these medications can be taken together, it is advisable to take them at different times in order to for the effect to occur more frequently.
Physical activity
This should be kept to a minimum as it exacerbates bleeding.
Smoking
Smoking delays healing and if this occurs, it is more likely that you get an infection. Infection and poor healing can be very painful so try your best not to smoke until the healing is complete in an attempt to prevent this.
Contact
If you have any concerns, please call 0330 122 93821 during normal working hours. Should you experience severe pain, bleeding or swelling during evenings, weekends or bank holidays, you should follow the out of hours instructions provided by your own dentist or call NHS 111 to access emergency advice and treatment. Oral Surgery Ltd DOES NOT provide out of hours care and any messages left with us will not be dealt with until the next working day.
The local anaesthetic will make you feel numb for a least a couple of hours. Beware not to eat or drink something hot as you will not be able to judge temperature and may scold yourself. Don’t be tempted to chew or touch the numb area.
Surgical site
The surgical site immediately forms a blood clot, which is the first phase of healing. It is important you do not dislodge this blood clot so that the healing is not disturbed. Therefore, do not rinse your mouth out or touch the area for the rest of the day in order to leave the blood clot in place. Brush your teeth as normal but avoid the surgical area and you may choose to dribble the water rather than spit it out.
Keeping the area clean
From the day after surgery, the blood clot should be more secure so you should keep the area clean by rinsing gently with either lukewarm salty water or any mouthwash of your choice. The advised time to do this is after you eat any food in order to wash the debris from the area. The surgeon may advise you to use a specific mouthwash but this is not normally necessary.
Eating
You may eat and drink as normal but you may choose to eat food that is easier to chew. A liquid diet is unnecessary but eating crunchy foods may be uncomfortable and disrupt the surgical site. You must avoid hot food and drink.
Stitches
You may have had stitches in your gum. If this is the case and unless the surgeon has told you otherwise, they will dissolve. This may take up to 3 weeks.
Bleeding
A little bleeding is not uncommon and is of no concern. Sleep with a towel over your pillow on the day of surgery in case you dribble a little blood. Your saliva may be stained a little pink from the blood clot. Don’t be concerned by confusing this with actual bleeding. Profuse bleeding that gushes or fills your mouth is very unlikely and should be managed by tightly placing a tissue or the gauze provided and biting extremely hard on it for at least 20 minutes. Firm pressure almost always stops bleeding.
Pain relief
Surgery on any area of the body may cause some discomfort afterwards in much the same way as you would expect after any other operation. It is therefore advisable to take painkillers before the numbness wears off. The jawbone would heal in a similar way to your leg or arm or any other part of your body after an operation. Don’t be surprised or concerned by this.
The discomfort should be managed by taking regular painkillers such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, if your medical history allows it. If you are taking any medication, please confirm with your surgeon that routine painkillers are appropriate for you to take. Ibuprofen reduces swelling as well as treating discomfort. Although these medications can be taken together, it is advisable to take them at different times in order to for the effect to occur more frequently.
Physical activity
This should be kept to a minimum as it exacerbates bleeding.
Smoking
Smoking delays healing and if this occurs, it is more likely that you get an infection. Infection and poor healing can be very painful so try your best not to smoke until the healing is complete in an attempt to prevent this.
Contact
If you have any concerns, please call 0330 122 93821 during normal working hours. Should you experience severe pain, bleeding or swelling during evenings, weekends or bank holidays, you should follow the out of hours instructions provided by your own dentist or call NHS 111 to access emergency advice and treatment. Oral Surgery Ltd DOES NOT provide out of hours care and any messages left with us will not be dealt with until the next working day.
