Recovery Care Guidelines After a Soft Tissue Graft
- A certain amount of discomfort, bleeding, swelling, and oozing can be expected after oral surgery. Please avoid pulling on your lip to look at the surgical site, and do not touch or probe the area with your tongue or fingers.
- Do not rinse or spit forcefully, and skip drinking through a straw. Placing a gauze pad directly over the wound and biting down for 30 minutes will help control bleeding. A degree of bleeding is expected during the first 24 hours, so if it persists beyond that, please contact our office.
- Be sure to take every medication prescribed to you, including any mouth rinses, exactly as directed.
- Once the first 24 hours have passed, you can rinse with warm salt water (mix one-half teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water) about 4 to 5 times daily after eating.
- Starting 24 hours after your procedure, resume brushing with a soft-bristled manual toothbrush, using a gentle touch around the surgical areas.
- Your surgeon may place sutures during the procedure, and in most cases, these will dissolve on their own over time.
- It is common for swelling and bruising to appear, and they often look their worst two to three days after the procedure. A cold compress held against the face near the surgical area can help keep swelling down.
- When using an ice pack, never let the ice touch your skin directly, always keep a cloth layered between the two. The compress can be worn for up to 20 minutes at a time, followed by a break of at least 20 minutes, repeated as needed. Once 36 hours have passed, cold therapy no longer helps with swelling, and switching to moist heat applied to the sides of the face becomes the better option for reducing it.
- Keep yourself well hydrated, and steer clear of spicy or acidic foods, as well as sharp, crunchy items such as tacos, chips, and nuts. Tobacco and alcohol are both off-limits during recovery, and alcohol in particular should never be combined with pain medication or antibiotics.
- Limit physical activity right after your surgery, and hold off on anything strenuous for the following 2 to 3 days.
- If your treatment included a surgical bandage, it should stay in place for about 24 hours. You do not need to remove it yourself, it will detach naturally when it is ready. After it comes off, you can gently clean the wound using a cotton swab moistened with a mouth rinse.