What to Expect: Oral Surgeries
Your dentist or prosthodontist may tell you that you need to have an oral surgery, before you can proceed with the process of getting dentures. Whether it’s extractions, an alveoloplasty, or something else, your dentist can help inform you about what to expect before, during, and after your oral surgery. If you’re concerned about pain or anxiety during the procedure, be sure to ask about your options for sedation. By carefully following post-operative instructions, and being patient with your new set of needs, you can recover smoothly and quickly.
Extractions:
An extraction is a common oral surgery procedure. If a tooth is too infected or critically broken, then your dentist may recommend that the tooth be extracted. This procedure can be done for multiple teeth at once if needed, particularly if the patient is getting ready for a bridge or denture. Often, extractions are not seen as major surgeries where local anesthesia or other sedatives are administered. Sometimes, depending on the location and mobility of the tooth, an extraction can be performed without surgical procedures. This is considered a “simple” extraction. Even when a “surgical” extraction is required, the incisions are small, and the procedure is generally straightforward. With attentive post-recovery care, complications post surgeries can be easily avoided. Your dentist might suggest having a bone graft placed at the extraction site. If a bone graft is not placed, the space left by the extracted tooth could cause neighboring teeth to shift, leading to potential oral health issues such as difficulty cleaning misaligned teeth. The bone graft material is designed to fuse with your natural bone, maintaining normal teeth spacing and the density of your alveolar ridge (the bone ridge holding your teeth). Additionally, preserving teeth spacing and bone density supports better oral health and allows for future implant placement. Other Oral Surgeries:
Other oral surgeries you may anticipate include augmenting your bone ridge, removing bony growths, or removing/replacing the soft tissues of your mouth. These surgeries are often needed to prepare for dentures, implants, or other planned procedures. In an alveoloplasty, bone graft material (or your own bone) is used to reshape and smooth the alveolar ridge. Bone material may be added in some places or removed in others. The result is an alveolar ridge that has a shape suitable for creating a good suction and comfortable fit for dentures, or for placing implants in a strong foundation for implant-supported dentures. In addition to bone surgeries, you may have abnormalities with your soft tissue that need to be removed or adjusted. You may need to have tissue growths removed that are abnormal to the regular shape of your mouth. Depending on the size and location of any growths or features, they may interfere with your bite or your speech. Having these abnormalities taken care of is standard preparation for getting dentures, fixing interferences with your bite or speech, or otherwise improving your oral health.Preparation Before Oral Surgery:
Before your oral surgery, it is important to maintain your oral health. Your dentist may recommend an antimicrobial mouthwash to be used before your surgery, and alongside regular recovery instructions. It’s important to maintain good oral health before oral surgery to reduce the risk of post-surgery infections or complications that could prolong your recovery. Even if you are having teeth extracted, a habit of good oral hygiene is important. Your prosthetics will need to be cleaned just as often as your natural teeth.After Oral Surgery:
Immediately after your surgery, you can expect the area – including your lips, cheeks, and tongue – to feel numb. This usually lasts a few hours, and until the numbness wears off, it’s important to avoid drinking anything extremely hot, or eating anything chewy. You won’t be able to tell if you’re burning yourself or catching your tongue or cheek in your teeth. To stop the bleeding after your surgery, you can bite very gently on dampened gauze until the bleeding stops. Light bleeding is normal for the first 12-24 hours following your surgery. After the numbness wears off, you can expect some pain. This can be managed by taking medications as instructed by the dentist. To reduce swelling and pain, you can ice your cheek outside of the area of surgery for the first 24 hours. After the first 24 hours, you can also apply damp heat, such as a hot towel. Following oral surgery, it is especially important to maintain good oral health. Because of your surgical wounds, your dentist will have instructions on how to care for your mouth during each stage of recovery. In general, for the rest of the day of your surgery, you should not rinse your mouth. This can dislodge the blood clots that will cause your gums to heal. Dislodged blood clots can result in dry socket, a condition where the tooth nerve is exposed and is very painful.What can you eat?
While your mouth is healing, you need to be careful about what you eat. Particularly hot foods shortly after surgery (within the first 24 hours) can cause the forming blood clots to dislodge. If you are drinking soups (which can be good, as a meat broth is a good liquid source of protein and nutrients), you should be careful of the temperature. You should be particularly careful to avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods. The table below lists some foods that are recommended and some that should be avoided: Recommended Foods | Foods to avoid |
| Meat broth or light soups (source of protein) | Hard candy, chips & popcorn |
| Soft cooked eggs (high in protein) | Orange juice (the acidity can irritate the site) |
| Yogurt (rich in probiotics) | Tomatoes and tomato juice (acidity) |
| Avocado (has healthy fats) | Seedy fruits, such as strawberries |
| Cottage cheese (high in calcium) | Thick meats |
| Smoothies | Spicy/sharp foods (will irritate open wounds) |
