How Long Does Surgical Extraction Take to Heal?
Surgical extraction is one of the most common dental surgeries. This is where the dentist must cut into your gum our mouth tissue to remove a tooth. This is often due to the fact that the tooth is so broken or diseased that it can’t be removed in once piece, as is the case with most simple extractions. It can take up to 2 weeks to fully recover after the surgical removal of your tooth. However, proper care of the wound can help you recover faster.
How long it may take to recover from a surgical extraction
Recovery time is different for everyone and varies based on your case and how healthy you are before the procedure. After the procedure, you may need stitches to help close the wound. If traditional sutures are used, they will most likely be removed by the dentist after about one week, with your mouth needing an additional week or so to fully heal. Sometimes the surgery causes bruising, swelling, and pain, which also takes time to heal. Recovery from surgical extraction is gradual, but every day, you will see improvements. Your recover can have setbacks, and this is completely normal. For example, if blood clots become dislodged from the wound, or the wound becomes infected, recovery may take longer, and you should see us right away if this happens.
Care to be taken after extraction, for better healing
After surgery, we will provide you with a list of care and recommendations to follow so that you can recover as quickly and painlessly as possible. Below are some of the care instructions we advise to aid in faster and more complete healing.
- After surgery, apply pressure with a sterile compress for about 30 minutes, and whenever you feel bleeding; do so for 15 minutes.
- During the first 3 days and whenever possible, place an ice pack covered by a towel on the area of the face corresponding to the surgical area, for regular intervals of 15 minutes with 10-minute breaks.
- Avoid rinsing, spitting or sucking in the first 24 hours after surgery.
- The day after surgery, you should rinse your mouth with mouthwash and massage your gums with a surgical brush and appropriate gel twice a day, morning and night. It is common and natural for cleaning the surgical wound to cause some pain and slight bleeding during the first few days.
- Do not put your finger, tongue, or any object on the area where your tooth was.
- Sleep with your head higher than your body (with a high pillow or two pillows) to reduce swelling.
- In the first 3 days, eat cool and soft foods. Gradually introduce harder and hotter foods and avoid hard and crunchy foods throughout the process.
- Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking.
- During the post-operative period (7-10 days) you should not do physical exercise or any activity that requires you to keep your head down.
In Conclusion
Remember that the recovery process does not only depend on your surgical case, but also on you. If you follow the aftercare instructions, you will find that the healing process is faster and more comfortable. You will find that is takes about 2 weeks to completely recover from surgical extraction, maybe a bit longer. If you have questions during this time period, or you are worried about the progress of your healing, please reach out to us, we can help!