If you had undergone any oral surgery (tooth extraction, for instance), you would have encountered cheek swelling
There is discomfort and swelling in the orofacial areas for a few days after a dental procedure. It is because the surgical alterations made to the troublesome areas have a minor impact on other parts of the mouth, like cheeks.
Don’t worry. It is perfectly normal to have swollen cheeks following dental surgery. Moreover, the post-surgical swelling indicates the body is beginning to repair the damage from the surgery.
How long does facial swelling last after surgery?
After surgery, inflammation in the cheeks peaked about 48 hours and started to subside. In general, puffy face or swelling in the cheeks exists for about 5 to 7 days. The extent and longevity of facial inflammation vary according to your surgical procedure.
Even while the inflammation disappears in a few days, it can be very uncomfortable while it lasts. Hence, it would help if you abode by the aftercare instructions recommended by your dentist or oral surgeon.
Fortunately, there are certain things you can do at home to tackle such discomforts and reduce swelling quickly.
How do you get rid of swollen cheeks after surgery?
To lessen the post-surgical swelling in the cheeks, our Surya Dental Care dentists advise the following remedies to our patients:
1) Keep your head raised
You should keep the treated region above the heart. It helps in draining fluids from the injured area. Accumulation of fluids in the surgical site causes facial swelling. When the fluids are eliminated, the inflammation starts to subside. Likely, it guarantees enough blood flow to the treated areas so that the surgical wounds heal quickly.
Hence you should not lie down flat for a few days following the surgery. Use at least 2 pillows to keep your head elevated while sleeping. Alternatively, try to sleep in a recliner chair to maintain this position.
2) Limit your physical activities
Your immune system begins to repair the injured oral tissues after the surgery. It requires sufficient energy from your body. If you indulge in your routine physical activities during the healing process, it will lessen the energy needed for healing so that the healing process will elongate.
Therefore, for around 3 to 5 days following the surgery, you should take rest.
3) Don’t take hot showers
When a stream of hot water comes in contact with the surgical site, it might dislodge the blood clots formed. Consequently, bleeding occurs and is followed by a delay in facial swelling.
Therefore, it is best to refrain from taking hot showers for roughly two to three days following surgery. It helps to reduce puffy cheeks effectively.
Note: Similar to hot showers, avoid taking hot drinks and foods for a few days following the surgery.
4) Cold compress
You might see injured sportspersons apply ice packs on the wounded area. Needless to say, this practice will lessen the pain. Remember that lowering pain and inflammation will trigger our bodies to start the healing process. It applies to recovering from dental surgical wounds and their consequences, like facial swelling.
Take some ice cubes and bundle them with gauze. Apply it over one side of the face for about 10 minutes. Then repeat this on the other side of the face. If you do this remedy for 3 days following the surgery, you can quickly get rid of the puffy cheeks.
5) Stop Smoking
Following oral surgery, it is better to abstain from Smoking for roughly 8 weeks.
Besides delaying the healing process, Smoking and drinking introduce chemical components to the surgical site. It obstructs alleviating inflammation in the cheeks as well.
Bottom line
Swelling in the cheeks typically subsides in 2 to 3 days after the surgery. If the inflammation remains the same even after that, it might indicate a problem near the surgical site inside your mouth. The post-operative instructions given by oral surgeons tend to avert such issues.
Hence it is better to follow the prescribed aftercare activities and consult your dentist immediately if you have puffy cheeks for more than a week.
