Recovering After Your Wisdom Teeth Extraction
If you are going to be having your wisdom teeth extracted by your dentist, you want to educate yourself on the recovery and learn what you should do to heal quickly and feel better. This article will explain the healing process to you so you know what to expect. It will also give you tips for feeling better during those first days and tips for healing faster.
Directly after the procedure
Pain control - You are going to be a bit numb for a while directly after you have your wisdom teeth extracted. After a few hours, the pain should start setting in. This is when you want to start taking the pain medication you were prescribed. After you begin taking it, make sure you take it regularly as directed. If you wait until you feel pain, the medication will take a while to bring you relief.
Bleeding issues - You will be sent home with gauze in place to help with the bleeding. Keep this gauze in place for about a half hour, and then replace it regularly with clean gauze until you no longer have any bleeding.
Rest - You should reserve the rest of the day for rest and recuperation. Be aware that the pain medication can make you groggy and dizzy. Therefore, you don't want to drive or operate heavy machinery while you are taking it.
The first few days after the procedure
Eating - You want to stick to eating soft foods until your mouth has had a chance to heal. This means, you want to eat soft foods the first few days. A few examples of foods you can eat include yogurt, pudding, mashed potatoes, soup and ice cream.
Preserving the clot - When you get your wisdom teeth extracted, a clot will form in the socket. You want this clot to stay in place. Sucking, spitting and over-rinsing your mouth can dislodge the clot. Therefore, you want to avoid things like drinking out of straws and rinsing your mouth out.
Antibiotics – If you were sent home with antibiotics, you want to take them as directed and do not stop taking them until the prescription is gone. The antibiotics will help keep you from getting an infection and stopping the prescription early increases your chances of infection. It can also lead to you developing a bacterial resistance.
Now that you know what to expect and how to get through the healing process, you should feel better prepared to go in and have your wisdom teeth extracted.