If you recently had oral surgery, we feel your pain. We want you to be in as little pain as possible after you have surgery. Pain and swelling after surgery is normal, but that doesn’t mean it is comfortable.

If you are recovering from oral surgery, here are some tips and tricks to help you manage pain and swelling after surgery.

After you have oral surgery, you need to rest. Avoid a lot of physical activity. This is not the time to suddenly decide to clean the house or change the oil in the car. While you’re resting, prop your head up with pillows. This will help reduce your bleeding and it will also help reduce swelling. Also, be sure that you are applying ice packs to your face during the day- 15 minutes on your face, and 15 minutes off.

You will also want to keep the swelling down by eating soft foods that are not too cold or too hot. Soups, shakes, smoothies, mashed potatoes and yogurt are great examples of what you should eat. You may want to eat foods rich in vitamin A and vitamin C, because they will speed up the healing process, which means you can reduce your swelling faster as well. Also, if you are supposed to take anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, be sure you take them, because this reduces swelling as well.

Once the first 24 hours after surgery has passed, you need to keep your mouth clean. Rinse frequently with warm saltwater, especially after meals or snacks. This will also help the swelling, as saltwater is a natural way to clean your teeth and keep bacteria at bay.

Be sure that your food and drinks are not too hot, because that not only makes your pain worse, but it may increase your swelling. No hard or crunchy foods either, as they can cause damage. Be sure that you aren’t smoking or drinking alcohol, as both of these delay the healing process.

If you have questions about ways to manage swelling, contact us today.