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How You Can Enjoy The Holidays While Healing From an Oral Surgery Procedure

How You Can Enjoy The Holidays While Healing From an Oral Surgery Procedure

Many people choose to coordinate an oral surgery procedure with a scheduled break from work or school. With the holidays quickly approaching, you might be considering taking care of a tooth extraction, dental implant, or scheduling your kid’s wisdom teeth extraction during the upcoming break. One of the common concerns we hear from patients scheduling procedures before the holidays is about the enjoyment of foods, family activities, and travel. Rest assured that, while you may need to alter the foods you eat and the activities you participate in, you can still enjoy the holidays while healing from your oral surgery. Here are some tips regarding oral surgery recovery to help you enjoy your holiday season while healing:

Rest

It’s important to rest and focus on your healing after you undergo oral surgery.  It is normal to feel “foggy” for up to 24 hours after a procedure done under IV sedation.  We typically recommend reducing activity for the first couple of days, as exercise and strenuous activity cause increased blood flow, which can cause more discomfort and swelling. Additionally, if you are not eating and drinking enough after surgery strenuous activity may lead to a feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness. This will begin to decrease after the first few days.

Travel

For most procedures, flying doesn’t present a significant hazard after the first few days. There are certain cases, however, where we may recommend an extended waiting period before air travel. If you are planning to travel by car or train, just give yourself a couple of days rest first, and you should be fine. Swelling and bruising are common after surgery, but shouldn’t be increased by travel after the first few days. To reduce swelling and discomfort, icing the area after the procedure is very helpful. You can make a cold compress out of an ice pack, a plastic bag filled with ice, or a bag of frozen peas or corn.

Eat Soft Foods

During the healing phase it may be difficult to chew.  We recommend eating soft, bland foods that are easy to digest and avoiding anything spicy or acidic (such as orange juice).  Spicy and acidic foods won’t truly impact your healing but will cause additional discomfort.   It is very important to maintain good nutrition for proper healing.  We recommend that patients focus on drinking lots of fluids and eating small frequent meals. Foods that are good to eat postoperatively include:

  • Soup
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Stuffing
  • Baked Yams
  • Yogurt
  • Eggs
  • Apple sauce

Any other foods you enjoy that do not require significant chewing are also great options, as are nutrient shakes such as Ensure or Boost.  As you continue to heal, you can gradually re-introduce firmer foods back into your diet. After several days, you should be fine eating most of the foods on the holiday table, including turkey, but stay away from bones, and try to eat more of the softer foods, such as mashed potatoes and stuffing.

Activities

This is the area that will be most affected by your post-surgery healing period. If family and friends are playing active games, you’ll want to sit them out and watch from the sidelines. Prepare alternatives by bringing board games or card games that multiple people can play.

All in all, the main thing to consider is that healing takes time. While you should be able to enjoy many of the joys that the holidays (and holiday foods) have to offer, take it easy on your body and mouth and don’t push it too hard. If you start to feel weak or faint, or notice an increase in bleeding or swelling, your body is telling you to take a break. If you have any questions or concerns about an oral surgery that you are considering, or would like more information about your specific condition and approximate healing times, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at Tahoe Oral Surgery and Implant Center.

March 30, 2018 TOSAdmin16
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Oral Surgery Client Testimonials

I highly recommend [Dr. Martin] and would not hesitate to drive back to Tahoe to have my son seen again (in fact, I already did!).
Erin E.
Great work and great staff! They made what was, to me, a scary procedure into something that I said was easy mid-way though. I’d highly recommend Dr. Martin and his staff.
Erin McGuffin Jernigan
Dr. Martin and his staff have been and were during my procedure absolutely amazing and kind and professional. For … oral surgery, he and his staff are the best place to be taken care of.
Alison B., Truckee, CA
Dr. Martin and staff are amazing and wonderful. I highly recommend Dr. Martin for all your surgical needs for your teeth.
Steven J.
Dr. Martin and his staff are awesome and super nice! I definitely recommend Dr. Martin to anyone looking for an oral surgeon!
Lyndsay F.
My daughter had her wisdom teeth out and everything about the experience was easy. The staff was efficient and responsive, and the procedure went just as expected. Highly recommend this practice!
Alaina R., Truckee, CA
Dr. Martin and his office staff were extremely professional, their compassion and caring was awesome! I would recommend Dr. Martin to anyone in need of an oral surgeon.
Pam M., Truckee, CA
I went to Dr.Martin a couple years ago to get my wisdom teeth taken out, since then I have referred three of my friends and they were also very happy with his work. The staff and himself were so nice and friendly, made each of us feel comfortable and relaxed.
R.D.
Dr. Martin is great, after having a wisdom tooth removed I had no problem or pain. I would highly recommend Tahoe Oral Surgery.
Sandy Wingate
If you have to have oral surgery for any reason, you couldn’t pick a better place than Tahoe Oral Surgery & Implant Center. The staff makes you feel welcome and Dr. Martin is lovely!!!!
Kay Taylor

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Truckee (& mailing)

Tahoe Oral Surgery and Implant Center
40165 Truckee Airport Road
#303 (2nd floor)
Truckee, CA 96161
530-587-5440

South Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Oral Surgery and Implant Center
591 Tahoe Keys Blvd.
Suite D4
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
530-541-4042
Daniel C. Martin, DDS your Truckee and Lake Tahoe Oral Surgeon

Proudly Offers the Following Oral Surgery Services:

Dental Implants, All-on-4™, Teeth-in-an-Hour™, Bone Grafting, Jaw Bone Health, Jaw Surgery, Jaw Bone Deterioration, Ridge Augmentations, Sinus Lift, Nerve Repositioning, Socket Preservation, Pre-prosthetic Surgery and treatment of Facial Trauma, and Oral Pathology.

Serving the following California and Nevada communities: Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Reno, Gardnerville, Minden, Carson City, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Incline Village, Zephyr Cove, Stateline NV, Sierraville.

Copyright © 2016 Tahoe Oral Surgery and Implant Center • Daniel C. Martin, DDS Dental Corp.