In any surgical field, the less we have to mess with our body, the better it is for healing. The traditional treatment for recovery from surgery is combination prescription pills for pain and inflammation. However, these medications have several pitfalls – they’re not a viable option for people with certain health issues, use disorders, religions, ages, and other factors. As well, they have short and long-term side effects that can really add up. While having access to painkillers following getting wisdom teeth pulled out of your mouth can help you feel fantastic—after all, the corners of your mouth are likely to be swollen and in pain immediately after surgery once the localized dental anesthesia wears off. But not everyone is necessarily going to be wanting to be hopped up on pain medication.
At the same time, there’s a reason painkillers are the standard in medical pain management: they’re good at what they do. Your mouth could be super inflamed and swollen around the site of the oral surgery your local dental surgeon just performed on you, and you wouldn’t feel a single thing. While it sounds tempting, there are just some downsides to them that people aren’t going to be comfortable with. With all the downsides, there’s got to be other options. Natural pain management methods, especially topical gels and creams, are an emerging solution for pain in the field of oral surgery. Holistic oral surgeons with years of experience naturally treating pain are well-versed in which topicals and creams can be most effective for what you need done. Holistic pain treatment following dental surgery has a ton of benefits that those weary of their synthetic, prescription counterparts will appreciate. They’re non-invasive, more targeted than oral meds, and don’t pose the health risks opioids and NSAIDs do.
But do they work, though?
What’s the Deal with Holistic Aftercare?
It’s easy to assume that anyone promoting holistic care following oral surgery of any kind might be on something themselves, but it’s been proven time and again that holistic care works and is, in fact, a great alternative to typical pain medication. Whether you’re using acupuncture or acupressure following that complete jaw and mouth reconstruction to ease inflammation at the surgical site or even the power of aromatherapy to help with discomfort following a procedure, there are absolutely benefits to it, along with genuine reasons to consider holistic care.
Holistic care can be as intensive as acupuncture, or it can truly be as easy as getting good sleep and eating a healthy diet post-op—after all, a high-functioning immune system is one of the most vital factors in the speed at which you heal, and any oral surgeon who knows what they’re talking about can tell you that.
Natural Ingredients that Relieve Oral Pain & Inflammation
We’ve had great luck with holistic oral surgery techniques at our practice – from dentin autografting to Waterlase to homeopathic pain management. We’ve also had great experience utilizing plant-derived holistic care for our patients who are recovering from oral surgeries like bone grafting around the jaw area, soft tissue grafting, and even from same-day dental implants. There are plenty of topical at-home remedies for inflammation and pain, and we even offer our patients a convenient recovery kit that incorporates all of them!
- Arnica: Used for centuries for pain and inflammation from illness and injury, arnica contains sesquiterpene lactones, which have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
- Calendula: Commonly known as marigold, calendula contains compounds that prevent inflammation (flavonoids), pain (triterpenoids) and bruising/swelling (coumarins).
- Chamomile & Echinacea: Both traditional remedies for various ailments, including pain and inflammation, chamomile and echinacea reduce the production of inflammatory compounds like carrageenan and inflammatory signalers cytokines.
- Hepar hypericum: A combination of sulfur and St. John’s Wort, sulfur is a key mineral for immune function and cell growth, and St. John’s Wort promotes serotonin and norepinephrine, which has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
- Ignatia: Traditionally used for a wide array of skin, pain and gut conditions, ignatia’s mechanisms are mysterious, but it has shown an ability to reduce inflammation and the perception of pain in clinical studies.
- Ledum palustre: Its homeopathic properties indicate that ledum palustre acts as an anti-inflammatory by blocking the production of inflammatory compounds, controls pain by blocking pain receptors, and fights pain and swelling by relaxing muscles.
- Ruta & Silicea: The graveolens in ruta and silicea can help to speed up the healing of injured tissues. This may be due to their ability to increase blood flow to the injured area and to promote the production of new collagen.
- Staphysagria: Science doesn’t yet understand exactly how staphsagria works, but it has shown an ability to reduce pain signaling, block inflammatory signals, and improve blood flow to the injured area, which can speed healing.
Note: These herbs and herbal compounds are only for topical use; some are toxic if ingested.
An Holistic Option for Post-Surgery Pain: the StellaLife VEGA Recovery Kit
As one of the top oral surgeons in Ohio, we strive to offer our patients the best in oral surgery – and part of that is finding natural ways to replace potentially-harmful things like prescription pain pills with safe alternatives. More and more people are considering looking into holistic care that works following dental surgeries, and one of our favorite holistic recovery kits to offer our patients is the StellaLife VEGA Oral Care Recovery Kit. A 3-step system comprised of homeopathic topical analgesic ingredients, the oral rinse, spray and gel are meant to be used for 10 days, beginning 3 days before the procedure.
The way the VEGA Recovery Kit program is designed, you not only prepare your body for recovery before the surgery even starts, but you have a 3x/day routine to help manage the pain and inflammation for a full week post-surgery. Plus, these topical treatments also protect the health of your teeth and gums during recovery by fighting bacteria and plaque. So not only do you get natural pain and inflammation management solutions, you also get something that’s going to help prevent any infections from settling in following getting all four wisdom teeth removed or getting that new titanium dental implant set into your mouth. Post-op infections like dry sockets are always a possibility around the surgical site, and our holistic kit does an effective job at reducing that risk. Many of our patients choose not to use their pain prescription at all, as this holistic pain-management program is just as effective as it is safe and natural.
Learn more about our holistic approach oral surgery, healing and pain management.
