When you have oral surgery, it’s natural for you to experience some swelling around the surgical area. When you leave, we’ll recommend over-the-counter medications or even give you some medication to help deal with this swelling.

An ice pack can also help. However, while some swelling is normal, if the swelling gets worse or occurs for several days, it may be a sign of infection or some other problem. It’s important to know when you need to call us.

After the procedure, your face is likely going to be a little swollen. Sometimes the swelling only occurs on one side of your face or mouth, while other times your entire face may feel swollen. It all depends on how severe the surgery was and where it was done.

You’ll usually find that the swelling is the worse during the 24 hours after the surgery. After that, you may have some swelling for as long as seven days.

There are two things you want to look for in swelling that can indicate a problem. First, the swelling shouldn’t really move to any other part of your face. Second, once the swelling goes down, it shouldn’t become worse again unless you hurt the surgical site.

If you do bump the area or get hit with something, it’s important to call us as soon as you can. The surgical site is very tender, and any blow to the face could open up the stitches or cause other damage. We will want to take a look to make sure everything is okay.

If the swelling does start to get worse or if you still have swelling a week after your surgery, contact us to make a follow-up appointment.