Take Time Off After Dental Surgery
Dental surgery can be very traumatic for some people and very trite for others. It depends on your pain tolerance and the type of dental surgery that you have as to how you will react after dental surgery. Twenty years ago, having your wisdom teeth pulled would require a full two days in bed. Today, dentists will have you in and out of the chair in an hour or two and you can go straight back to work. But if you have an intolerance to the type of anesthesia the dentist uses, then it would be wise to go home and sleep the rest of the day after your dental surgery.
Medical Care
The medical care that is needed after dental surgery is very minimal compared to major medical surgery. Changing the gauze on the affected area periodically the first few hours is required and taking extra strength Tylenol or maybe something a little stronger will help to fight the pain. It is always a good idea to take the pain medication one half hour before the required time, so one pill doesn't wear off before you can take the other one.
Gargling with salt water should help keep the wound from bleeding and help to rid your mouth of antiseptic taste. It is very unwise to drink out of a straw after dental surgery. The sucking motion will make you dizzy and nauseous. Vomiting is not something you want to do right after dental surgery. The mouth is sore enough and there is no need to aggravate it further. So, the rule of thumb is to never drink out of a straw right after dental surgery and eat a milk shake with a spoon rather than through a straw.
If it is necessary for you to go home and go to bed after your dental surgery, then sleep in a sitting up position, at least for the first night. This will help prevent the wound or stitched area from bleeding. If you do start bleeding, than eat a popsicle because the cold iciness will help to clot the blood flow. An ice pack will also help the swelling go down on your cheeks. Staying quiet for a day or two should help the healing process and the sooner you heal, the better you will feel. It doesn't take long for the gum tissue to heal after dental surgery and pretty soon you will be as good as new.
