7 Tips to Recover from Wisdom Teeth Removal

Contrary to the name, wisdom teeth don’t offer any benefits to your life. Many people have problems with their wisdom teeth, and getting them removed is the only option to avoid pain, possible infections and impacted teeth.

Wisdom teeth are the four permanent adult teeth at the back corners of the gum on the top and the bottom. They usually show up from the ages of 17-25. Since they show up when you are older, they are referred to as wisdom teeth although they don’t impart any knowledge.  Removal of wisdom teeth is a common surgical procedure that is undertaken at dental clinics.

Why are wisdom teeth removed?

The usual problem is impacted wisdom teeth. The teeth don’t have enough room to grow and they grow at angles that make it uncomfortable or can cause all the other teeth to push together and forwards. This causes an aching pain in the jaw and can result in infection. In such cases to avoid long-term pain, removal of some or all of the wisdom teeth is recommended.

Removal of your wisdom molars could be potentially scary. They are large teeth with deep roots that have to be sometimes forcefully extracted.

However, removing the wisdom teeth gives permanent relief to pain. It stops overcrowding of teeth, a problem that both children and adults face. The location of the wisdom teeth make them hard to clean, resulting in a higher likelihood of cavities and infection.

How is a wisdom tooth removed?

Your oral surgeon or dentist will make an incision in the gum tissue and remove the bone that blocks reach to the tooth root. They then divide the tooth into sections and then remove the tooth. The affected area that is cut is stitched back together.

What happens after wisdom teeth are removed?

There will be some post-operative pain and swelling in the area affected.  Remember that the recovery process will take a couple of days.

Before the extraction, ask your dentist how many wisdom teeth will be extracted, the kind of anaesthesia (local or general) your dentist needs to administer, whether there is a possibility of nerve damage and if follow-up treatments are required.

After care is essential to speed the recovery process and prevent dry socket or alveolar osteitis, a painful post-extraction complication that occurs when the blood clot that is formed in the socket dissolves. This leads to exposure of bone and nerve endings and could cause swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, slight fever, bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth.

How to aid recovery after wisdom tooth extraction

Here are seven sure-fire steps to recover from wisdom tooth extraction:

Use ice pack, warm compresses and tea bags

Use ice packs on the swollen area every twenty minutes to two hours. If there was an infection prior to wisdom tooth removal, use warm compresses. Once the procedure is complete, tea bags are good for stopping clotting as they contain tannic acid.

Don’t talk

No need to engage in conversation immediately after the surgery.

Stick to food restrictions

Be careful about what you eat. Start with a liquid diet after surgery. You can have lukewarm or cool drinks- no carbonated drinks and nothing hot or cold. You can have soft foods like puddings, eggs, mashed potatoes and liquefied fruits or vegetables. No spicy food and when you have juices, avoid using a straw. Stay away from sticky foods like popcorn and hard foods like nuts.

Rest and allow your body to heal

Don’t be in a hurry to get back to any stressful work or exercise. Elevate your head on a high pillow while lying down.

Don’t keep your mouth closed all the time. You might feel like you want to keep it shut after surgery as your mouth will feel stiff. After surgery, however, open your mouth slowly. Just make sure you don’t open your mouth suddenly with jerky or sudden movements.

Keep your mouth clean

Clean your mouth with warm salt water. You won’t be able to brush immediately though you can start brushing by the end of the day if bleeding stops. You’ll need to rinse your mouth a couple of times over the day. Gentle rinsing is recommended. No spitting as this can dislodge the blood clot from the socket. No smoking or caffeine when there is bleeding.

Don’t forget to take your medication

Have the prescribed medication and stay away from alcohol while you are on medication. Take pain medication before you feel the pain, once that ache starts it’s difficult to remove completely.

Don’t ignore any post-op symptoms

Call your dentist if the swelling gets worse, bleeding doesn’t subside, there is pus appears in nasal discharge, throbbing pain continues, or fever persists.

If you follow the simple steps provided, it means you are wise enough and your oral health will remain intact. If complications emerge, immediately get in touch with your dentist. Visit NSOMs to find out more about wisdom tooth extraction, dental implants and various other kinds of dental treatment options available.