An Oral Surgeon’s Guide to Postoperative Care Instructions
Emphasizing proper rest, diet, and wound care is essential to rapid recovery
When patients undergo oral surgery, their recovery process is crucial to the success of the procedure. From the foods that they can and can't eat to the activities that they participate in, there are many factors that can affect patients' results. Although the duration of recovery time will vary based on the procedure performed, it's important to provide patients with a comprehensive guide that maps out not only how they should adjust their typical diet and which of their daily activities they should opt out of but also for how long they should do so.
What patients eat during their recovery process can negatively or positively impact the course of healing, and it can even extend the time required. Avoiding hard and crunchy foods is important to the recovery process. Foods such as nuts, hard candy, or potato chips can affect the healing tissue in the mouth. This can result in pain, unnecessary bleeding, and even damage to the wound, thereby increasing the recovery time. It is best to have patients stick to soft foods, such as eggs, mashed potatoes, soup, yogurt, pudding, gelatin, and ice cream. These foods will be easy to chew and are highly unlikely to cause any damage to the surgical site. Some patients may require a full liquid diet. In these cases, it is best to recommend dietary supplement products (eg, Ensure, Boost) to help patients keep their energy up and get all of their necessary nutrients. There are also things that patients can add to their diets to provide some relief. For example, some have found it helpful to drink chamomile tea, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Although diet is important during healing, other aspects of daily living can have just as much of an effect on recovery. Diving fully back into daily life, particularly activities such as work or sports, can be detrimental to the recovery process. Advise patients that their best bet is getting lots of rest and only engaging in low-intensity activities, such as going on walks. Although patients will still be able to do many of the activities that they would normally do, caution them that it is necessary to be mindful, monitor any pain, and try to stay as low-stress as possible.
When it comes to wound care, cleaning requires precision and a gentle hand. However, the more thoroughly clean the surgical site is, the less pain that patients are likely to experience and the shorter the recovery process. Caution them that it is best to get ahead of the pain and clean the area often to prevent any issues. Ice packs are also helpful for managing swelling and pain. Recommend that patients apply them in cycles of 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off for the first 48 to 72 hours postoperatively. To further reduce pain, patients can take ibuprofen and acetaminophen, rotating between the two different analgesics every three hours for the first 2 to 3 days.
There are steps that patients can take prior to their surgery as well that can help to alleviate unnecessary stress following the procedure. It can be helpful for them to pick up any preferred pain medication beforehand, so they aren't scrambling to find it after the pain has already begun. In addition, picking up food prior to surgery can help as well, especially because there will be a change of diet for a certain amount of time, and patients will have to figure out what they want to eat. By planning ahead, patients can leave their surgical appointments and immediately focus on resting.
Preparing patients for what to expect after surgery and stressing the importance of diet, rest, and proper wound care helps prevent complications and unnecessarily long recovery times. When patients are provided with clear and detailed instructions tailored to their specific needs, it can enhance their confidence in managing their postoperative care, which is why I always recommend scheduling a presurgical consultation to discuss these specifics and ensure that patients' questions are answered. Also, be sure to emphasize the importance of attending follow-up appointments and keeping an open line of communication. This way, you can address any concerns or complications as early as possible.
About the Author
Jaclyn A. Tomsic, MD, DMD, is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who practices in Cleveland, Ohio.
