Wisdom Teeth Removal: Tips For A Smooth Recovery

Wisdom teeth removal is one of life’s many rites of passage that we know nobody looks forward to.

Located at the back of your mouth, wisdom teeth are the third set of molars. Your dentist will be able to tell if your wisdom teeth need to be removed.

For most people, there is not enough room for them to come in properly. This results in pain, stiffness, irritation, crowding, and many other oral health issues.

Tips for a Smooth Wisdom Tooth Recovery

From the experts at Dentistry @ Richmond, here are 3 tips for a smooth recovery after having your wisdom teeth removed:

Sleep, Relax & Repeat

When recovering from any type of oral surgery, rest is your best friend. Minor pain, swelling, and bleeding are all part of the normal recovery process. During the first day or two after surgery, it is best to avoid strenuous activities or working out. It’s important for your body to be able to develop blood clots to begin the healing process.

Sleep is also your body’s way of restoring and healing itself. Hormones needed for healing are released to encourage tissue growth. So don’t feel guilty about taking a few extra naps. It will allow your body to repair itself after your wisdom teeth removal.
Sleep is also your body’s way of restoring and healing itself. Hormones needed for healing are released to encourage tissue growth.

Use a Salt Water Rinse

Salt water rinses are often recommended after any type of tooth extraction.

After wisdom tooth removal, cleaning your mouth can be quite difficult. Rinsing with salt water is a great substitute for keeping the area clean and discouraging bacteria growth.

We recommend mixing 1 cup of warm water with ¼ tsp of salt. Don’t do this rinse for the first 12-24 hours after your surgery, since the surgical site will still be tender. For the first 3 days of your recovery, use salt water rinses every 2 hours while awake. For two weeks, post wisdom tooth removal, rinse after eating.

Be Mindful of Your Diet

Speaking of eating, you’re probably thinking, what can I eat/drink after wisdom teeth removal?

Eating can certainly be a challenge after removing your wisdom teeth. You’ll want to observe a soft food diet for a week after your wisdom teeth surgery. 

Items we suggest for a soft food diet include mashed potatoes. Pasta (overcooked), yoghurt, blended fruit, ice cream, soup, and soft-cooked vegetables.

Also, since a method of freezing will be used to manage pain during the surgery, avoid any hot foods or drinks until the anaesthesia wears off. 

Drinking plenty of fluids and avoiding overly sugary drinks, like soda, will also help with a smooth recovery. When drinking, avoid using straws! This can lead to dry sockets.

Bonus: What are Dry sockets, and how can you prevent them?

After a wisdom tooth is removed, a blood clot forms over the wound, this is a good thing that helps with the recovery process. However, sometimes this blood clot can get dislodged from the area, which means nothing is protecting the wound. As a result, the bone and nerves of the jaw are exposed and this can be quite painful.

Symptoms of a dry socket include:

• Severe in the area of the extraction that possibly radiates up your neck to your ear, eye or temple.
• You may notice the blood clot is gone or see the bone exposed.
• Unpleasant taste in your mouth and possibly bad breath.

In order to avoid dry sockets, it is advised that you don’t use straws. But also smoking can cause dry sockets due to the chemicals and act of sucking. Other things that can lead to dry sockets include improper aftercare and poor oral hygiene. Oral contraceptives can also sometimes lead to dry sockets.

By following these tips, your wisdom teeth removal recovery should take approximately two weeks. By then, you should be back to normal.

Getting Your Wisdom Teeth Removed in Richmond

At Dentistry @ Richmond, wisdom teeth removal is a routine surgical procedure that we do. If you’re in need of wisdom teeth removal in Richmond or surrounding areas, our team is here for you! We are committed to making this procedure as comfortable as possible.

Our wisdom tooth extraction procedure involves using sedation dentistry, state-of-the-art technology, and up-to-date techniques. Book a consultation with our team to get started on the wisdom tooth removal process in Richmond.