How to Help Someone Recover After Dental Surgery

It can be hard for people who undergo dental surgery to get back to their regular lives right away. Having loved ones to help them recover can cheer them up and help them get better faster.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Ice pack
• Prescribed antibiotics or painkillers
• Ibuprofen
• Liquids like water, juice and soda
• Soft foods like mashed potatoes and yogurt
• Gauze or teabags

Help Someone Recover After Dental Surgery

1. Avoid letting your loved one eat or drink anything the same day as her surgery. The patient should be able to brush her teeth in the morning. To learn what else an oral surgery patient shouldn't do immediately after surgery, visit the Atlanta Oral and Facial Surgery website (see Resources below).
2. Fill your loved one's pain medication prescription immediately after surgery and ensure that he follows the surgeon's directions for taking it. If your loved one is not prescribed anything but is still experiencing pain, suggest an over the-counter-pain reliever like ibuprofen.
3. Let your loved one sit in a comfortable chair after getting home with her head elevated. If she has had a tooth extracted, make sure she keeps continuous pressure on the surgical site with a wad of gauze. A moist tea bag also may be used. Repeat if bleeding continues.
4. Apply ice packs on your loved one's face over the surgical area to reduce swelling. The area should be iced on a 15-minute on-off schedule for the first day after the surgery.
5. Give your loved one a soda or carbonated beverage to settle his stomach. Make sure to give him juice or milk to take with prescription pain medication to lessen the chance of an upset stomach.
6. Let your loved one rinse her mouth 24 hours after surgery with a mixture of 8 oz. of warm water and a 1/2 tsp. of salt. Have her rinse about once an hour while awake.
7. Allow your loved one to eat soft foods like yogurt or mashed potatoes when he is ready. Avoid giving him hard or small foods like popcorn which could damage the surgical site.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider shopping for necessary foods and supplies before your loved one has surgery so he won't have to pick up items.
• Plan to pick up your loved one from dental surgery and take him to a follow-up appointment, as he may feel too weak to drive himself.
• Do not allow your loved one to use straws, cigarettes, alcohol or to eat small or hard foods. These habits could loosen a blood clot, which can cause a painful, smelly condition called dry socket. Dry socket will significantly increase the time it takes for someone to recover from dental surgery.