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How long should I wait to exercise after oral surgery?

putting on shoes to work out

If you’re scheduled to have oral surgery, you might wonder how many workouts you’ll miss. Exercising immediately after any surgery is generally not a good idea. While you might think oral surgery is different because it’s located in your mouth, the reality is that strenuous exercise slows your body’s ability to heal and puts you at risk of complications. Rest is vital for ensuring a speedy recovery. Ideally, you should wait about a week before returning to regular exercise for most common oral surgeries such as wisdom tooth extraction or dental implant placement. For more complex procedures, your oral surgeon may recommend you rest longer.

Understand the risks of exercising too soon after oral surgery

Failing to rest up and give your body a chance to heal after oral surgery can cause one or more of the following complications:

  • Excessive swelling.
  • Bleeding from the surgical site.
  • Dry socket. This occurs when the blood clot that forms at the surgical site becomes dislodged.

Try light yoga and stretching

After a couple of days, you should be able to do light mobility exercises to stay limber and keep your body flexible. Choose simple stretches and yoga poses that do not raise your heart rate.

Ease back into exercising after oral surgery

Don’t push yourself too hard on your first day back to the gym. Although most oral surgery procedures are minimally invasive, every patient is different and requires different healing times. Start with low-impact activities and then spend several days working back up to your regular routine.

If at any time along the way you feel sharp discomfort or lightheadedness, end your workout and try again the next day with an easier set of exercises.

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