Complications of Oral Surgery

All surgeries pose a risk to the patient either from the surgery or from the anesthesia. Oral surgery isn't any exception. While most complications aren't serious, you must be prepared for them all.

Swelling

• Swelling is a possible complication following an oral surgery. The swelling can last up to 10 days and can usually be combated with ice packs and using a 50:50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water to rinse the mouth once per day.

Pain

• Following oral surgery, you can expect pain in your mouth, ears, face and jaw for two days to two weeks. If you notice a bad taste in your mouth, contact your oral surgeon as you may have a decomposed blood clot in the socket, which is called dry socket.

Bleeding

• While some bleeding after oral surgery is normal, you should be able to control it by applying pressure using a folded or rolled gauze pad while biting down---a tea bag can also be used for up to 60 minutes at a time. However, if this doesn't control the bleeding, contact your surgeon.

Slow Healing

• Because of pain and swelling in the mouth, eating a balanced diet after oral surgery is difficult; however, it is necessary to ensure proper healing--you can eat easy to chew foods such as soups if chewing is painful. Inadequate nutrition can cause healing times to slow, which increases the incidence of infection and discomfort.

Infection

• As is the case with any surgery, infection in the site of the oral surgery is possible. If you begin to run a fever or notice a foul smell or discharge coming from the area, contact your surgeon immediately.