Risk Factors For Post-Operative Infection After Oral Surgery

If you are anticipating oral surgery, then you will need to talk to your dentist about your medical history, lifestyle habits, medications, and dietary supplement use. While most people sail right through oral surgery, there are certain things that can raise the risk for post-operative infections. Here are some things that can heighten your risk for infections after your oral surgical procedure and what you can do about them:

Uncontrolled Or Poorly Managed Diabetes

If you have diabetes, especially if you have had it for many years, or if your diabetes is poorly managed, then you may be at risk for developing an infection after your dental surgery. Not only does diabetes raise the risk for poor wound healing, it can also cause poor circulation and capillary damage.

Be sure to tell your oral surgeon about your diabetes history so that he or she can closely monitor your surgical sites  for the first sign of infection. These signs may include inflammation, bleeding, poor wound healing, and a purulent drainage around the surgical site. If not recognized and treated quickly, a post-operative dental infection can lead to a more serious or body-wide infection known as sepsis.

To help prevent an infection after your oral surgery, make sure you follow your therapeutic diabetic diet, manage your weight, take all your prescribed diabetes medication, and get plenty of exercise and rest. These interventions will help keep your blood glucose levels within normal limits, subsequently reducing your risk for an infection after your dental surgery.

Vitamin C Deficiency

Vitamin C is thought to promote wound healing while boosting immune function. Vitamin C deficiencies can develop as a result of poor dietary intake of vitamin C, regular aspirin use, or consuming large amounts of caffeine. Aspirin interferes with vitamin C absorption and excessive caffeine intake can remove vitamin C from the body through urination because caffeine is a diuretic.

If you feel as though you are deficient in vitamin C, see your physician prior to undergoing your dental surgery. He or she will order a vitamin C blood test to evaluate your levels, and if you are found to be deficient, your doctor may either recommend that you increase your intake of citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables, or take an over-the-counter supplement. Once your vitamin C deficiency has resolved, your post-operative risk for a dental infection will diminish. 

If you have diabetes or a vitamin C deficiency tell your oral surgeon before you undergo your procedure. He or she may recommend that you get your blood sugar levels under control or start taking vitamin C supplements to help promote a healthy immune system so that your recovery from oral surgery is uneventful.