As the day of your oral surgery appointment approaches, it is important that you talk with a doctor, like Peak Family Dentistry & Orthodontics, to make sure that you are clear on your after-care instructions. Also, you should check out these dos and don'ts to ensure that you have a successful and pain-free oral surgery recovery period:

Do take your pain medication as recommended by your oral surgeon. For example, if the instructions say to take one pain pill every six hours, then you should make every effort to stay on this schedule. By continually keeping pain medication in your system, you will be able to better control any pain and discomfort that you may experience after your oral surgery procedure. Any lapse in coverage time and your pain medication will not work as well as it is designed to.

Don't try to soothe your sore gums or surgical site by rubbing the area with your fingers. While this action may immediately reduce your discomfort, it will increase the healing time for your gums and can introduce bacteria that can cause an infection in your surgical site. Instead, try swishing the area with a salt water rinse or brushing your teeth if you are feeling irritated.

Do use a soft toothbrush, water flosser, and the special medicated mouthwash that your oral surgeon prescribes for you to clean your teeth and gums after your surgery. It is vital that you keep your mouth clean so that your surgical site will heal and not develop an infection. Using a soft toothbrush will be gentle on your healing gums, and the medicated mouthwash is necessary to control infections and promote healing.

Don't use a string dental floss after your oral surgery because it will irritate your sore gums and make them take longer to heal. Instead, use a water flosser because they are much more gentle while cleaning your gumline. Set the water flosser on a lower intensity setting so that it will be extra gentle on your surgical site.

Do brew some of your favorite tea blend and drink the warm tea to help your surgical site feel better. The tannins in tea will help to reduce inflammation and the warm temperature will be soothing for your sore mouth. However, you should only do this tip when the numbing agent in your mouth has worn off--otherwise you could burn your mouth!

Don't throw away the tea bag! Apply the tea bag directly on your surgical site and allow it to sit there for a few minutes. This will allow the powerful antioxidants in the tannins to escape from the tea leaves and coat your oral surgery site. This will make your surgical site feel better and heal faster as well.