It's common for the tongue, lips, or chin to feel numb for 24 hours after surgery. Depending on the type of surgery and the location of the numbness, the sensation may last longer. Some anesthetics, such as marcaine, also last longer, increasing numbness. You want to take the best care of your teeth and gums after surgery, but you also want to return to normal life.
Your recovery schedule will vary depending on the type of surgery you are having, your physical health, and your age. Hopefully, any bleeding will stop within the first 24 hours and you'll feel better after the effects of the sedation have worn off. Complete healing can take up to two weeks. A dental bone graft is a surgical procedure performed to add bone volume and density to the jaw in order to improve the success rates of dental implants.
The procedure is typically performed by an oral surgeon and usually takes about an hour to complete. It can take several weeks to recover from a dental bone graft, and patients should eat soft foods during this time. Dental bone grafts are often used to correct defects caused by periodontal disease or tooth loss. The increased numbness experienced with dental anesthesia is due to the injection of a local anesthetic.
The numbness generally spreads throughout the injected area, including the teeth, gums, tongue, and lips. However, numbness can also be the result of a topical gel, an IV, a pill, or a laughing gas. Contact your dentist or Columbia Smiles if you've recently had oral surgery and have questions about your recovery. If you are preparing to have oral surgery, you may be concerned about how your recovery will be.
Before recommending oral surgery, the dentist close to me considers all of your health history and suggests the process only if it is beneficial to your oral and general health. A follow-up visit may be necessary, as persistent numbness after an oral procedure could indicate nerve damage or an abscess. Some oral surgeries, specifically those that focus on bone structure (such as bone grafts and apicectomy), may require a longer period of overall healing. However, in general, most people feel well enough to return to normal activities a few days to a week after surgery.
The surgery is usually performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and usually takes several hours to complete. The time needed to recover from oral surgery will vary depending on the person, the type of procedure being performed, and how well the person is cared for during the healing process. However, you can optimize the healing process to prevent infections or complications if you follow your oral surgeon's post-operative instructions precisely. For example, if you have an impacted tooth removed, oral surgery in Northeast Calgary gives you intravenous anesthesia in your arm and local anesthesia in your mouth, and continues with the procedure only after you numb your mouth.
However, during surgery, you probably won't feel any pain because the oral surgeon will give you local, intravenous, general anesthesia, or dental sedation to ensure that you feel completely comfortable. If you go to the dentist for a routine filling, endodontic treatment, or other procedure, you will likely have local anesthesia applied to numb the area and keep you from feeling pain during treatment.
