Is it normal or safe to leave a buccal removal incision open to heal?

Buccal fat removal requires making small incisions inside the mouth close to the gums. Most of the surgeons close the small incisions with stitches that dissolve themselves in few weeks. Other surgeons leave the wounds open so they heal by themselves. Both practices are usually safe. In my practice I elect to close all the buccal fat removal incisions to leave things as they were before. 

I can't think of any advantage to leaving intraoral cheek incisions open during a buccal fat pad removal procedure. I have been doing this procedure for over 20 years and have closed every incision with dissolvable sutures without a single wound healing problem. I hope this is helpful!Thomas Taylor, MD, FACS

Dear Stephanieochoa1,Thank you for your question. I think it is a little unusual to leave the Buccal Fat incision open. Putting a few stitches in to close the incision will help hasten the recovery. The logic behind leaving the incision open probably lies with the fact that there may potentially be a slightly decreased risk for infection. However, that risk of infection is theoretical at best. I would not necessarily suggest that you look for another surgeon, but if you feel more comfortable with the incision being closed with sutures, simply request that the surgeon close the incisions with suture.Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns!Sincerely,Dr. P Daniel Ward