Post-Operative Swelling

We offer comprehensive care at Elite Dental Arts in Midtown, including restorations and cosmetic orthodontics. Particularly in these fields, there are times in a patient’s oral care when a tooth extraction or other kind of surgical procedure may be necessary. These procedures are safe and routine, but we want patients to understand issues relating to post-operative swelling so they will be less distressed and know whether they need to seek help.

When a tooth is removed, the body’s inflammatory response will be triggered. Typically, the amount of swelling a patient experiences will be proportionate to the difficulty of the procedure. A simple extraction is unlikely to cause much swelling, but an operation requiring incisions into the gums will cause a lot. In the first twenty-four hours after surgery, the patient should try to control the swelling by applying cold packs. The cold pack should be kept on for fifteen minutes at a time and then removed for fifteen-minute intervals. After thirty-six hours, the patient should switch to hot packs, with similar protections to avoid scalding. It is typical for swelling to peak three or four days after the procedure. If it continues to swell past that point or fails to go down, or the area looks black, you should inform us.

Another important point is that a patient’s lips will feel strange after being injected with anesthetic. Biting down on them could cause them to swell, which isn’t ideal but should go down after a few days. But if the lips smell bad or pus leaks from them, they may have become infected and the patient will need antibiotics.

Nick M. Mobilia, DDS
ELITE DENTAL ARTS
9 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017