Are you ready for your wisdom teeth removal? It can be intimidating or even scary. But with these wisdom teeth recovery tips from our dentist in Shelby Township, MI, you’ll be more than ready for it!
Before We Begin
Make sure your recovery space is set up BEFORE you get home.
Setting up your comfy spot with enough pillows and blankets is a hassle after having your wisdom teeth extracted. Save yourself the energy by doing it beforehand. Make sure to put your remote somewhere close! No one wants to go hunting for that after wisdom teeth extraction!
Soft Foods Will Treat You Right
Soft foods are less strenuous on your mouth, and have a lower risk of causing jaw pain!
Things like chocolates, hard fruits, and salty nuts are not your friends after wisdom teeth removal. They are hard to chew and can get stuck in the empty sockets where your wisdom teeth used to be.
We recommend going to the store before wisdom teeth extraction and stocking up on things that are easy to eat.
Here are a few good ideas:
- Bread
- Flavored Gelatin
- Pureed Soups
- Mashed Potatoes
- Scrambled Eggs
Eating these in small doses is best.
PRO TIP: If you need to soften something up, let it soak in water. It may ruin the flavor, but it’ll save your mouth from pain!
Gauze Up
After your procedure, you’ll need to gently bite down on the gauze pad that’s placed over the extraction site. After 30 minutes, remove and discard the gauze and replace it with fresh gauze if needed.
A high amount of saliva is expected after a dental procedure, so don’t worry if you’re experiencing that! While in recovery, do not do anything that involves strain or excessive activity as this can increase bleeding or reopen a wound.
Avoid Straws and Smoking
Do NOT use a straw until at least 24 hours have passed since your wisdom tooth extraction. Otherwise, you risk dislodging the blood clot that forms over the extraction site. This blood clot is your body’s way of protecting the underlying bone and nerves until your wound heals.
Also, you should NOT smoke after . We always recommend our patients quit smoking because it’s better for their oral health and overall wellbeing. However, you should especially avoid smoking after a dental procedure. Not only is it bad for your health and teeth, it inhibits your body’s natural healing ability.
Stay Elevated
After your procedure, you may find yourself tired or drowsy from the type of sedation you received. When you get home, your first reaction might be to sleep, but we want to caution you against lying down.
Rather than lying flat on your back or on your side, we strongly suggest resting in a reclining chair or finding another way to keep your head elevated. This will help reduce the amount of pain you feel while recovering from .
Enjoy a Movie
It may sound silly, but a good movie can help your recovery process because movies help us relax. Try watching a movie after your appointment.
Maybe you have a long, ever-growing list on Netflix. Or maybe there’s that show everyone at the office talks about. Now is your time to sit back, relax, and recover from a wisdom tooth extraction!
An Irrigation Syringe Will Be Your Best Friend
Until your gums heal, you’ll need to use an irrigation syringe to keep the extraction sites clean after eating.
The syringe works great for getting out pesky particles of food without causing further injury to the extraction sites. If a piece of food gets stuck in the spot your tooth used to be, don’t panic. Rinse it out slowly with the syringe and if you’re up for it, we recommend doing so with warm saltwater.
You can brush your teeth the night after your appointment but do so at a gentle pace and avoid the extraction sites.
Schedule a Consultation for Wisdom Teeth
Whether it’s you or a loved one going through wisdom teeth removal, we hope you feel a little more prepared now. Our , would be more than happy to explain everything in more detail during a consultation. To schedule an appointment, please call the Premier Dental Center at (248) 457-0500. You may also fill out our online contact form and someone from our team will reach out to you soon.
This blog post has been updated.