How Can I Help My Patient Recover Faster After Dental Surgery? Patients generally do not experience severe discomfort after dental surgery. However, in clinical practice, some patients may experience several unpleasant symptoms at the same time following a surgical procedure. In some cases, post-operative discomfort may even affect their ability to work. How can we help patients recover faster?

Comprehensive information matters

Before a procedure, patients should be fully informed that varying degrees of discomfort may occur after any dental intervention and that the likelihood of unpleasant symptoms may be greater following surgery, whether it involves tooth extraction, implant placement or jaw surgery. The symptoms experienced depend on many factors. It is therefore worth reminding patients to arrive for their procedure well rested, calm, and without symptoms of a viral infection or fever.
Dental implant placement is one of the procedures that patients may fear the most. “I think it is perfectly normal to feel a little nervous,” says Jolita Milerienė, implantologist at the Implantology and Reconstructive Dentistry Clinic (IROK) in Vilnius, Lithuania. “I have often heard patients admit that they were so anxious and thought so much about the upcoming surgery that they did not sleep all night or had nightmares. These patients arrive tired and frightened.” The first step in helping patients feel more comfortable is to discuss their concerns well in advance of the procedure and answer all their questions. Patients should also be reminded not to overexert themselves the day before surgery, to allow more time for themselves and to relax. “If you sleep well before surgery, half the work towards your well-being has already been done,” says the implantologist.

Post-operative discomfort

Regardless of the technique used, implant placement is an invasive procedure and may therefore be followed by varying degrees of discomfort. “The most difficult period for patients is usually the first 2–3 days after implant placement. After that, the symptoms generally begin to subside,” says implantologist J. Milerienė.
Following dental implant placement, patients may experience tightness, numbness, mild oral pain, swelling of the gums or face and, in rare cases, an elevated body temperature or other signs of fever.

If jawbone augmentation is required before implant placement, post-operative symptoms may be more pronounced. For example, following upper jaw bone augmentation and the placement of two implants, recovery may take up to two weeks. One patient who successfully underwent such a procedure described the first week as particularly difficult, with significant facial swelling and bruising extending towards the neck. The patient reported pain during the first week and considerable discomfort during the second. Following surgery, he took antibiotics and ibuprofen as prescribed by his doctor.
How a patient feels after surgery depends on many factors, including their general health and immune status.
In J. Milerienė’s practice at IROK, prolonged post-operative discomfort following implant placement is extremely rare. However, as the number of patients receiving dental implants in Europe continues to increase, more complex recovery cases may also become more common.
“In general, dentists need to be prepared to help patients recover more quickly in more difficult cases and, ideally, to prevent or reduce unpleasant symptoms by using additional measures that support wound healing and recovery,” she explains.

Additional support for patients

Modern healthcare is showing increasing interest in naturally derived and effective approaches to care. Patients are also looking for alternatives or complementary options to conventional medicines and treatments. Dentists should therefore be familiar with appropriate supportive measures that may be recommended to patients, including alongside antibiotics when these are clinically required.
One such option is Fitodenta, a unique solution developed by Lithuanian biotechnology scientists to support recovery following dental surgery. The set consists of two products: an oral spray and a cosmetic gel. Clinical studies indicated that the best results were achieved when the two products were used together – the spray inside the mouth on the affected gums and mucosa, and the gel externally over the area of swelling.
The products contain naturally derived active ingredients. In a clinical study, when used alongside conventional post-operative medicines, Fitodenta significantly reduced pain and swelling and improved the recovery process by up to 40%.
The unique formulation contains cannabidiol (CBD), which works synergistically with other botanically derived active ingredients whose therapeutic properties are described in the European Pharmacopoeia. The ingredients have been studied for their anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and healing-supporting properties.
Fitodenta products are intended for oral care and are classified as cosmetic products.