Rest is important following oral surgery and it is recommended for at least two days following the procedure. It is not recommended to engage in physical activity for two to three days after your surgery. Most patients are able to resume normal activities within 48 hours after surgery.
In most cases, walking and light physical activity is encouraged after the first day. This will also help with swelling and help get patients back into their normal routines. Depending on the procedure, patients should avoid vigorous physical activity for 3-5 days.
Strenuous activities, such as high-impact physical activities, can dislodge the blood clot and make the wound prone to dry socket, a painful condition that will interfere with the healing process.
People should rest for at least the first 24 hours after the extraction. Avoiding strenuous activity is necessary. This may reduce bleeding and prevent losing the blood clot from the socket. Maintaining the blood clot is a very important aspect of aftercare.
It is recommended that you avoid doing anything strenuous such as chores or undertaking any form of physical activity. Ensure that your head is always kept in an elevated position as well. Rest is essential for the first 24 hours.
Limit activities like exercise and lifting heavy things for the first 24 hours after an extraction. This will help a blood clot form and prevent bleeding.
Within the first 24 hours after tooth removal surgery, you should avoid consuming anything that involves chewing. Try to limit yourself to liquids exclusively. If they don't fill you up and you want to consume solid food, go for soft meals that don't need much chewing, like pudding or oatmeal.
Your body is using energy to heal itself, so you may feel more tired than usual – this is perfectly normal.
Dry socket may be caused by a range of factors, such as an underlying infection in the mouth, trauma from the tooth extraction or problems with the jawbone. The condition occurs more often with wisdom teeth in the lower jaw than with other teeth. You are also more likely than others to develop dry socket if you: smoke.
Signs and symptoms of dry socket may include: Severe pain within a few days after a tooth extraction. Partial or total loss of the blood clot at the tooth extraction site, which you may notice as an empty-looking (dry) socket. Visible bone in the socket.
A dry socket occurs when the blood clot breaks down or is dislodged, exposing the bone and nerves. The first five or so days after extraction are the most critical, and it is during this time that the risk for a dry socket is the highest.
1 Get Some Rest
As lying flat can prolong healing, our dentists recommend keeping your head in an upright position similar to sleeping with a pillow. Proper rest promotes faster recovery.
Do not go up or down stairs or walk unassisted the first few hours following surgery. You can resume your normal activities as you can tolerate it the day following surgery.
Expect some soreness from a surgical extraction for at least three days and, in some cases, up to two weeks. Some patients experience a slight increase in pain right around the five-day mark, but in general, you can usually manage this with over-the-counter medications.
It is normal for post-operative pain to increase in the first 1-2 days along with swelling which usually peaks at about 48 hours. It is also normal in the case where four third molars have been removed for some sites to hurt more than others.
Sleep and good rest is important to heal faster, but you can actually prolong your healing process if you're not careful.
So, why no dairy? Dairy causes an inflammatory response in the oral tissues and this is not desirable after you have had dental implant surgery. Dairy has also been known to trigger nausea and vomiting.
When can I have something to eat? About an hour after surgery, you may remove the gauze sponges that have been placed in your mouth and have something to eat. Be sure to eat foods that are soft for the first 24 hours after surgery. Avoid hot foods and drinks for several hours after surgery.
On day 3 after surgery, eat soft foods that do not require much chewing, such as macaroni and cheese, cooked noodles, soft-boiled /scrambled/ poached eggs and soft sandwiches. Avoid tough or crunchy foods, such as pizza, rice, popcorn, and hamburger. Avoid spicy and acidic foods.
Dry socket is most common in molar extractions and especially in wisdom teeth, where it can occur up to 30% of the time. Patients with this condition typically experience a consistent throbbing pain a few days after the tooth is removed.
Throbbing pain during the first 24 hours post-extraction is a sign that your body is healing. Headaches, pain around the temples, neck or jaw and a sore throat may result from swelling and should subside within 1-3 days. Some temporary side effects of tooth extraction include: Bleeding.
After a tooth extraction, you should develop a blood clot in the socket (hole) that's left behind. It'll look like a dark-colored scab. But if you have a dry socket, the clot will be absent and you'll be able to see bone. For this reason, dry sockets usually appear white.
Dry sockets become increasingly painful in the days after a tooth extraction. They may also have exposed bone or tissue, or an unpleasant smell. By comparison, normal healing sockets get less painful over time and do not cause any other symptoms. A dry socket can be very painful, but it is not usually serious.
By sleeping with your head elevated, you can help to minimize the risk of developing a dry socket and promote faster healing after your wisdom tooth extraction.