Dental Work and Exercise

You are going to go to the dentist and have some work done. It might be a minor thing like a regular check-up or it might be something major like a root canal or dental implants. While making sure that the procedure is in the forefront of your mind, another thing is occupying it too: should I exercise after dental work?

There may be different waiting times for different procedures. For example, if you have a tooth cleaning or any other type of procedure and you weren’t required to have anesthesia, then you can go to the gym right afterwards without having to worry about anything. However, if teeth were removed or implanted or if you had to be sedated, then you will have to go on a case-by-case basis and just follow what instructions you are given.

When it comes to dental implants, patients should wait at least a few days before attempting to do any kind of exercise that involves lifting or bending or any other kind of strenuous activity. Otherwise, there’s a very good risk of pain and bleeding, since the area will need some time to heal. Infection is very possible and it can set back the whole recovery process by a decent margin if the post-procedure instructions are not followed very closely. This can be a very expensive mistake if more dental work is required. It’s best to rest and recuperate – the gym can wait for a while.

Another reason to wait to exercise is because a patient’s face will swell, especially if this was a same-day implant with tooth extraction. The swelling will prevent normal eating… and that will also deplete energy stores. Once a regular eating routine has resumed, then the patient can think about going back into an exercise regimen. Otherwise, there’s a chance of premature exhaustion or cramping if there aren’t enough nutrients going into the body. The wait may seem long, but it will be even worse if one is knocked out of commission due to injury. Of course, if any bleeding occurs during exercise, stop immediately.

Also, if you have something like a tooth extraction or any other procedure, you might have sutures in your mouth and exercise could cause them to come loose – and there’s the very real risk that you might get dry socket, which would be very painful. It’s best to let those sutures run their course. Another possible situation, especially with implants, is that doing something like lifting weights might cause you to bite harder – which can damage the implants. Be careful, especially in the beginning, even after the several days rest.

Whatever the procedure, you might be best suited to just do some light range of motion exercises at first. Any medication your dentist gave you to help speed the healing process or prevent infection might make you light-headed, so you don’t want to overexert yourself at the risk of passing out.

The great staff at Esthetix Dental Spa can make sure that procedures like this go smoothly for you. Their expert care will ensure that you recover quickly and can go back to the gym as soon as possible – but follow their instructions.