Help on the road to recovery

Good oral care is key to the success of any dental treatment. But when it comes to invasive dental procedures, such as periodontal surgery or dental implant placement, meticulous postoperative care is vital.

As you know, wound healing is a dynamic process consisting of continuous, overlapping and programmed phases. In adults, optimal wound healing involves the following:

Postoperative complications of surgical tooth extractions, for example, can include swelling, pain, trismus, prolonged bleeding, dry socket, infection and sensory alterations of the inferior alveolar nerve or lingual nerve.

One of the primary goals of post-op wound care – and one of the trickiest – is to maintain oral cleanliness without causing trauma to the surgical site. Gentle plaque removal using toothbrushes with soft bristles or antimicrobial rinses can aid in preventing biofilm accumulation and postoperative complications. Additionally, careful irrigation with chlorhexidine (CHX) or saline solutions may reduce bacterial load and improve wound healing.

Mouth rinses or gels containing chlorhexidine gluconate are commonly recommended due to their antimicrobial properties. CHX boasts a broad-spectrum antimicrobial effect, meaning it can target a wide range of bacteria, fungi and viruses found in the mouth. It helps to reduce the overall bacterial load in the oral cavity, preventing the growth of harmful bacteria that can cause post-op complications, as well as those pathogens that can cause dental decay, gum disease and bad breath.