Wisdom Teeth Recovery

So you have had the procedure and are left with a hole in your gum and a particularly sore mouth, there are a few things you should know about wisdom teeth recovery and how to recover in the quickest time possible.

Wisdom Teeth Recovery Directly After The Extraction

Unsurprisingly the first 24 hours after the procedure will cause the most discomfort for you, follow the advise below to make it as comfortable as possible for yourself.

• Painkillers – Wisdom teeth pain relief will be essential during the entire recovey process and especially useful immediately after the procedure. Freely available pain killers such as aspirin or ibuprofen are usually sufficient but depending on the type of wisdom tooth extraction you have undergone your dentist may prescribe a stronger drug such as codeine to help with wisdom teeth removal recovery.
• Eating – Knowing what to eat after wisdom teeth removal is essential and plays a massive factor, especially in the 24 hours proceeding your operation, in how efficiently you recover. Liquid foods will be the staple of your diet straight after the extraction so foods such as smoothies or milkshakes. Avoid drinking through a straw at all costs as this can easily dislodge the fresh blood clot and prolong the wisdom teeth recovery period.
• Brushing – It is extremely important to maintain your dental hygiene to the highest standard possible during wisdom teeth removal recovery and as such brushing your teeth, even though it may cause discomfort, is required. It is likely that the area around the wisdom teeth removal (or tooth) will be sore so do not brush those teeth. Keeping your mouth clean will decrease the likeliness of getting an infection around the socket.
• Swelling – During the first 24 hours you may experience facial swelling, it’s severity will depend on your extraction type and your bodies response. An efficient aid in reducing the amount of swelling as well as having a pain relieving effect is to apply ice to the are. Simple wrap some ice or an ice block in a cloth and hold to the swollen area. Swelling is perfectly normal during wisdom teeth recovery and especially in the first 24 hours.
• Bleeding – You will experience bleeding for the first 24 hours after the extraction as part of the wisdom teeth removal recovery process. This is only until the blof clot has properly formed to fill the socket. Be sure to change the gauze over the socket when it is fully soaked with blood to control it to a certain extent. If the bleeding persists for much longer than 24 hours contact your dentist for advice, especially if the bleeding is still heavy.
• Take it easy! – You won’t be feeling great after the extraction so you need to make sure you have a comfortable environment to relax in for at least a day. Having someone to help you with tasks can be very useful, especially if you were heavily sedated as you may feel groggy for a little while.
• No tobacco – You should not have anything to do with tobacco for at least the first 24 hours after the extraction. Tobacco will dramatically slow down the healing process and the action of smoking is similar to that of sucking through a straw and could dislodge your blood clot.

Ongoing Wisdom Teeth Removal Recovery

You will be relieved to hear that after the first 25 hours after surgery you will have a little more freedom in the things you can and can’t do. Keep the following factors in mind and you will be well on your way to wisdom teeth recovery.

• Stitches – Your dentist may have used the self-dissolving type of stiches during your procedure in which case you do not have to worry about this point. About a week after the surgery you will be required to revisit and have them removed.
• Salt water – A simple mixture of a table spoon of water in a glass of warm water supplies an easy, but not very nice tasting, way to both clean your mouth and provide some form of pain relief. Just gargle the mixture in your mouth for 10-20 seconds and try to focus on the affected areas.
• Dry Socket – Dry socket wisdom teeth is quite a frequent occurence in wisdom teeth removal recovery and occurs when the blood clot in the tooth socket either fails to form or is dislodged. This condition can be, but isn’t alaways, extremely painful and will require another visit to your dentist.
• Eating – You will need to eat selectively until the wisdom teeth removal recovery is complete, read more about what to eat after wisdom teeth removal.

How Long Does Wisdom Teeth Recovery Take?

Usually the wisdom teeth removal recovery process will have progressed enough for the patient to use their mouth and the area where the tooth was removed within 2 weeks, complete recovery can take upto 3 months depending on the individual. If you have any worries or questions are your wisdom teeth removal recovery you should contact your dentist.

Related posts:

• What To Eat After Wisdom Teeth Removal