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Postoperative Recovery
Considerations Healing
Pain Medication
Eating and Drinking
Antibiotics
Emergencies or Questions
HEALING
There are two stages of healing. The first
stage of healing consists of the first 3 to 5 days after your procedure,
which will be the most challenging period. It will consist of varying
degrees of tenderness, sensitivity, discomfort and possibly some
bruising around the face. You may have swelling and pain in the ears,
under the lower jaw, on the side of the head, under the eyes, or along
the side of the nose. The surgical site in your mouth may appear white;
this is not a sign of infection and requires no treatment.
The second stage of recovery will take approximately 10
to 14 days after the initial 3 to 5 days of stage one. This period of
time will allow for a decrease of the swelling, tenderness, sensitivity,
discomfort, and bruising. All of these time periods are
approximate and will vary depending on the patient, complexity of the
procedure, pre-existing medical problems, and medications being taken on
a daily basis.
Even though you may feel well the day after surgery,
you should reduce your activity level for 3 to 5 days, and especially
for the next 48 hours. Do not have a group of friends over for a visit,
do not talk on the phone for extended periods, do not exert yourself, and
you will feel better sooner. If you exercise on a frequent basis, please
refrain from doing so until approved by Dr. Babbush. During
exercise your blood pressure and pulse will elevate and may cause increased
pain. This may cause bleeding and/or a delay in healing.
There will be some oozing of blood for about 24-48
hours after your surgery. If bleeding is extensive, follow these
directions:
Rinse your mouth several times with warm water.
Use clean gauze to wipe away all blood clots not in the tooth
socket.
Roll up a 1/2 inch wad of gauze. Place it over the bleeding area.
Bite down firmly on the gauze so that pressure is applied over the
bleeding. Maintain pressure for 30 min. without removing the gauze.
Replace the gauze after 30 min., if necessary.
Any unusual condition occurring after being
dismissed should not be neglected.
As a patient, the most important
thing that you can do to aid proper healing is to rinse your mouth well
with lukewarm tap water mixed with mouth rinse in equal parts. Rinsing
should be done as previously instructed after each meal, when you awake
in the morning, and when you go to bed at night. This rinsing should be
continued until you are seen by the doctor for your postoperative
appointment. Proper rinsing can speed healing. Note that bad odors or tastes in
the mouth are not indicative of infection.
Do not attempt to clean extraction sites with anything
other than rinsing. Do continue to brush the remaining teeth in your
mouth.
The ice pack that was provided for you to take home can be
put back in the freezer and used repeatedly. Do not put it directly on
bare skin; wrap a towel around it.
It is a well documented scientific fact that smoking
causes a delay in healing, as well as increasing the chance of infection
after your surgery. For that reason, you should stop smoking at least two
weeks before surgery, as well as after your surgery. In fact, it is to
your continued good health to stop smoking entirely.
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PAIN MEDICATION
Any medication in pill form takes 30 to 45
minutes to begin working. Usually prescriptions are written to instruct
you to take pain pills every three to four hours. However, if at 2 1/2
hours you start having some discomfort, you may take another pill. For
more comfort as the Novocain begins to wear off, take one pill as soon
as you get home. If the pills prescribed for you are too strong you may
take two (2) Extra-Strength Tylenol 3-4 times per day as a substitute.
Do not take Motrin, Aspirin, Advil or anything containing Ibuprofen or
aspirin as that may cause increased bleeding.
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EATING AND DRINKING
You should not eat or drink hot foods for
24 hours after your surgery. Hot food and/or drinks can cause bleeding
or an increase in bleeding. You may want to sleep with your head
slightly elevated the first few nights, as well as place an old towel
over your pillow in the event that you experience some bleeding during
your sleep. There should not be any large amounts of bleeding. If there
are please call our office.
You should not eat anything with sharp edges
or that is difficult to chew, such as potato chips, corn or tortilla
chips, popcorn, pretzels, crusty bread, rolls or salads. Please do not
eat ice cream or milkshakes – they are too rich and may cause nausea or
gastric upset. You may have sorbet or suck on a Popsicle or ice chips.
If you usually eat yogurt you may have frozen yogurt or regular yogurt.
If you do not usually eat yogurt DO NOT start at this time as it may
cause gastric problems. Not eating for one or two days is not a big
concern, however, it is extremely important to drink fluids such as
ginger ale, cola, apple juice, iced tea and, of course, plenty of water.
You should not eat foods or drink juices which contain citric acid, such
as oranges, grapefruit, orange juice, etc.
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ANTIBIOTICS
Antibiotics are prescribed for two reasons:
1. To treat active infection
2. To prevent an infection
Whatever the reason, it is EXTREMELY
important to take antibiotics as directed and to finish taking all of
the pills prescribed. Even if you start feeling better, it is still
extremely important to finish medications completely. It is very
ineffective, and in some cases dangerous, to take a portion of the
pills, stop, and then start again.
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EMERGENCIES OR QUESTIONS
If you have an emergency situation or any questions, please call the
office for advice at (440) 995-5500, 24 hours a day. If a doctor is not
in to take your call immediately, one of our staff will relay your
message to a doctor and have him contact you directly. Please note that
occasionally, mobile phones, beepers, the Internet, etc. do not relay
messages properly. If you placed an urgent call and someone has not
returned it within 30 minutes, please call again.
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