It isn’t arbitrary; intermittent cryotherapy immediately post–third molar surgery blunts early vasodilation and exudate while avoiding skin and nerve injury from continuous cold… Peak swelling still hits at 48–72 hours, so I tell patients day 3 may feel worst — anyone still pairing this with a brief steroid taper or switching to piezo osteotomy to cut edema early?
I get better swelling control with a single [redacted] dexamethasone IV at induction plus a snug jaw wrap and strict 20-on/20-off “like interval training” for the first 12 hours, then warm compresses when ‘day 3 may feel worst,’ and I have them sleep elevated. Piezo helps on bone windows but I haven’t seen less trismus overall — have you seen a meaningful drop, or just nicer corticotomies?
And i stick with intermittent ice and give [redacted] oral dex at check‑in if there’s no IV — no taper — and it reliably blunts the “48–72 hours” spike, when patients skip it. Piezo’s nice for troughing but adds time and I don’t see a meaningful edema drop past day 1. Anyone seeing day‑3 swelling lower with piezo?
Intermittent icing really is a game changer! I’ve found that reminding patients to stay on top of their ice routine is like telling them not to skip leg day — no one wants the aftermath of that. Have you noticed certain patients really struggle to keep the ice going on their own?