Aesthetic dentistry refers to dental transformations done to mimic and recreate the natural look of your teeth. It typically aims at giving you the best natural-looking result on your teeth based on your preferences or current needs.
Check this previous post to see some of the aesthetic dentistry procedures you can expect at your dental clinic; https://dennistan.com.sg/aesthetic-dentistry/. Now, in aesthetic dentistry, your aesthetic dentist isn’t really obsessed with perfecting your smile.
Instead, the primary goal is to perfect the natural beauty that comes with the smile. This implies that if you were to undergo an aesthetic dentistry procedure to replace an affected tooth, the aesthetic dentist would carefully match it with the other teeth, so it may not be easy for someone to tell the difference outright.
How can I Speed up Healing after an Aesthetic Dental Surgery?
Even though an aesthetic dentistry procedure can improve your aesthetic appeal, recovery following the procedure should be your topmost concern. If you’re unsure about how you can speed up your recovery after an aesthetic dentist surgery, here are helpful guidelines you can always refer to.
-
Managing Swelling
If you had an aesthetic dentistry procedure like gum contouring/gum lift, you will most possibly experience mild inflammation that may come with sensitivity. The swelling after gum contouring/gum lift may last for around 7 to 10 days.
You can use cold compresses to manage the swelling. Ideally, you will need to apply the ice packs on your face for 15 minutes and then repeat the procedure after 15 minutes to keep the swelling down. Other than the ice packs, it is also recommendable that you sleep with your head elevated to manage the swelling or discomfort that may come with the procedure.
-
Oral Hygiene
Hygiene following an aesthetic dentistry surgical procedure is of utmost importance. You must keep your mouth clean to avoid running into complications that would make your recovery difficult or impact the results of the procedure.
It is recommendable that you gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water four times each day. It is also important that you rinse your mouth after every meal or snack, ensuring that no bits of food are left around the surgical area.
You may also benefit from a chlorhexidine rinse for killing the bacteria. Under oral hygiene, you will also need to brush and floss but be careful with how you brush or floss the teeth around the surgical area. Ideally, you will need to stick to brushing and flossing the rest of your mouth and avoid brushing the surgical site until you’ve fully healed.
-
Meals
You will also need to keep an eye on your meals. You can speed up your healing following an aesthetic dentistry surgical procedure by avoiding chewy or starchy foods.
You will also need to avoid eating hot foods and drinks until the local anesthesia used for the procedure wears off. If you eat hot foods when the local anesthesia is still active, there is a risk of burning yourself since you’re still numb and may not feel the pain.
As a general rule, after an aesthetic dentistry surgery, you must also avoid crunchy or hard foods for around 6 to 8 weeks. Some of the hard or crunchy foods you’ll need to keep away from the surgical area include popcorns and carrots.
Importantly, you will need to eat a more healthy soft food diet for a few days after the procedure. Therefore, your diet that may majorly consist of liquids and foods you can squish between your fingers.
Some of the foods or meals you can enjoy following the procedure include smoothies, soups, milkshakes, mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc. If you had an aesthetic procedure like the extraction of wisdom teeth to avoid the risk of these teeth pushing others out of place, it is advisable that when taking liquid foods or drinks, you don’t drink from straws for at least 24 hours following the procedure.
When selecting healthy meals to speed up your recovery following aesthetic dental surgery, it is prudent that you focus more on foods that are rich in Vitamins A and C. Some of the foods under this category include; stewed carrots, eggs, sweet potatoes, and fish.
Still, under meals, it is also advisable that you avoid alcoholic beverages and avoid smoking before and after surgery. Both of them may make your recovery following the surgical procedure a daunting task. If you’re not sure about a specific soft food being ideal for you, be sure to check with your aesthetic dentistry clinicians before trying it.
-
Medications
It is, without doubt, you will be given antibiotic medications after an aesthetic dentistry surgical procedure. As you probably already know, antibiotic medications will help kill bacteria that may infect the surgical area.
As a general rule, you will be required to use the medications as directed. If you suspect that you’ve got an infection in the treated area, be sure to alert the dentist so they can advise you accordingly on what to do next.
-
Give Yourself Enough Time to Rest and Heal
It is recommendable that you avoid physical activity for some time to allow your body enough time to heal. Importantly, you may also need to avoid intense exercises as they may increase pressure around the surgical area and make your bleeding or swelling worse.
Intense exercises or activities may increase blood flow to the surgical area, thereby dislodging the blood clots, which forms as you heal. You will also need to keep off activities that would force you to bend, keeping your head below the heart as that may also increase pressure around the surgical area and impact your healing process.
Following an aesthetic dentistry surgical procedure, you will need to immediately contact your aesthetic dentist if you experience any of these after-effects;
- Fever persisting for over 24 hours after the procedure
- Pus from the surgical area
- Breathing and swallowing complications
- Throbbing pain that doesn’t seem to subside even with medications
- Bleeding that persists even when you apply pressure
Final Word
There is a slew of dental complications that may impact your aesthetic appeal. Aesthetic dentistry would therefore help you restore that beautiful smile and boost your self esteem. If you’re considering any dental surgery for aesthetic purposes, get in touch with us today to review your options and recommend the best option depending on your condition or needs.