Getting Ready for Oral Surgery: 10 Quick Tips

Issues with your gums, jaws, or teeth are not always easily treated at the dentist’s office. Sometimes, the dentist near you may require oral surgery to treat and provide relief for the symptoms. Root canals, wisdom tooth extractions, dental implants, and jaw problems involve oral surgery.

Preparing for the procedure and knowing what to expect ahead of time will help ease your anxiety and ensure that the process is successful. Here are some guidelines on what to do before and after oral surgery for a quicker and more successful recovery.

Ten Ways to Prepare for Oral Surgery

Before oral surgery in Phoenix, you should:

• Be Informed

Schedule a consultation appointment with the dentist to help you understand the reasons, risks, and benefits of oral surgery. Ask questions to be well informed before the surgery and know what to expect after the procedure.

• Understand the Pre-Operative Instructions

Your dentist will give you personalized instructions on what to do and what to avoid before the surgery. Please read these instructions carefully and seek clarification where you need to as they determine the success of the treatment.

• Pick the Right Foods

You must follow a strict diet after oral surgery to help you through recovery. Your mouth and jaw may be pretty sore therefore preventing you from biting or chewing hard foods. To avoid unnecessary movement after the procedure, a day or days before the appointment, buy healthy drinks and soft foods that you can consume during the recovery period.

• Arrange for Transportation

Oral surgery requires the use of sedatives to ease the pain and make you comfortable during the procedure. Anesthesia leaves you feeling disoriented and can impair your judgment making it unsafe to drive after the procedure. Ask a friend or family member or a taxi to take you home on that day.

• Get Required Medication

Ask your dentist to prescribe any medications you will need after surgery and collect them from the pharmacy before the procedure.

• Avoid Smoking

Do not smoke or use tobacco products 12 hours before the oral surgery as it interferes with recovery.

• Fast

Do not eat or drink any foods or beverages at least eight hours before the procedure to reduce the risk of aspiration.

• Rest

Ensure that you get adequate sleep before the procedure. Enough rest will have you relaxed and anxiety-free before the process.

• Dress Comfortably

Wear loose and comfortable clothes as you go for surgery. The dental team will take vital signs, insert an IV line or put blood pressure cuffs on your arms. It is therefore crucial that you wear clothes with short sleeves to bare your arms quickly.

• Arrive Early

On the day scheduled for the Oral surgery in Phoenix, make sure that you arrive early. Getting to the dental office at least 20 minutes before the appointment will give you a chance to complete any paperwork, ask more questions, and relax before surgery.

Tips for Speedy Recovery After Oral Surgery

Here are some tips from the dentist in Phoenix on oral surgery aftercare.

• Smoking After Oral Surgery

Smoking disrupts the healing process after oral surgery and increases the risk of complications. Do not smoke or use tobacco products three days after surgery to avoid inflammation of the gums, swelling, and more pain.

• Foods After Oral Surgery

After surgery:

• Maintain a soft, nutritious diet that will lessen chewing discomfort and speed up healing.
• Consume a healthy liquid diet, pureed and smooth foods until your wound heals.
• Avoid caffeine, hot foods, and drinks right after the procedure.
• Toothbrush After Oral Surgery

Take proper care of your oral health to prevent food and bacteria from trapped in and around the treated area. Use a toothbrush designed for post-surgical brushing, which is gentle but highly effective in removing plaque and food debris from the site. Don’t use toothpaste in the immediate postoperative period, but use warm salty water to rinse your mouth after every meal carefully.

• Take Prescribed Medication

Strictly follow the treatment prescribed by the dentist to prevent infection of the wound and facilitate recovery.

• Apply Cold

Use a cold compress on the area near the operated site to control pain and inflammation.

If you are searching for a dentist in Phoenix, kindly schedule an appointment at Open Wide Dental for all your oral surgery needs. The dentist can help you with impacted teeth, jaw-joint issues, dental implants, sleep and breathing issues, overbites, underbites, cleft lips, and palates.