5 Wisdom Teeth Removal Recovery Tips

Are you getting ready to have your wisdom teeth removed?

While you may not have all that much control over the procedure itself, what you do after wisdom teeth removal surgery can have a lasting effect on your overall oral health. So, you want to make sure you treat your mouth right while recovering.

Not sure what to do after wisdom teeth removal?

We're here to help.

Here's everything you need to know about what you can expect after wisdom tooth removal and what you can do to get the most out of your recovery.

Immediately following your surgery, and for the next several hours, you should expect some bleeding from the surgery site. This bleeding typically lasts for a few hours and is perfectly natural, so try not to panic.

To manage this bleeding, starting two hours after your procedure, you should change out the gauze around your surgery site every 30 to 60 minutes and bite down firmly on the gauze to help stem the blood flow.

Once heavy blood flow subsides, you can expect to continue to find a little bit of blood in your saliva for around 24 to 48 hours after your procedure. If heavy blood flow persists longer than a few hours, or your surgery site is still bleeding after 48 hours, you should contact your dentists as soon as possible.

Bleeding aside, you can also expect a fair amount of pain and swelling, not just at and around your surgery site, but more or less around your entire face, including your eyes, cheeks, and jaw. This pain and swelling can last up to 72 hours, and again, is a natural part of the healing process.

Now that you know what to expect immediately after your procedure, it's time to talk about other ways to boost your recovery, so you can get back to enjoying your life as soon as possible.

Here are five must-have wisdom teeth removal recovery tips that will help you feel better faster.

1. Take It Easy

Rest is the ultimate healer when it comes to recovering from wisdom teeth removal. During the first 24 hours following your procedure, you can expect to feel pretty sore and groggy. So, don't fight it, find a comfortable spot, and try to avoid any physical activity during that time.

While recovering, make sure to elevate your head and try to avoid resting on the side of your extraction.

2. Practice Good Oral Hygiene

Keeping your mouth and surgery sites clean is essential to avoid any infections or complications while recovering. While you may want to skip flossing and mouthwash for the first 24 hours, you can gently brush your teeth after your procedure.

After the first 24 hours, you should begin gently rinsing your mouth out with warm salt water after every meal and before brushing to keep the surgery site clean.

3. Take Pain Relievers

While ice packs are an instrumental part of wisdom teeth removal pain relief, they can't solve everything. Your dentist may prescribe pain relievers to help manage some of the soreness you can expect after your procedure. Be sure to take the complete dosage of those medications, as well as any antibiotics they may also prescribe to help ease your recovery.

4. Mind What You Eat

Want some ice cream ? Fortunately, this sweet treat is a mainstay of wisdom teeth removal pain relief and recovery.

Immediately following your wisdom teeth removal, you'll need to stick to soft and cold foods such as yogurt, smoothies, pudding, and, yes, ice cream. Once you start to recover, you can move on to semi-solid foods like chicken noodle soup, but you should refrain from eating any purely solid foods until a few days after your procedure.

5. Be Careful When You Brush!

As we said before, you can carefully brush your teeth the night following your surgery. That said, try to avoid jumping back into your regular oral hygiene regimen for at least 24 hours after getting your wisdom teeth removed.

After that first 24 hours, you can resume regular brushing and flossing as long as you continue to avoid the surgery area. However, you should continue to forgo vigorous rinsing and rinsing with an alcohol-based mouthwash for a while as it could sting if your mouth is still healing.

Now that you have a few surefire wisdom teeth removal recovery tips to help guide you, it's time to talk about the things you shouldn't do after your surgery.

Once the blood clots in the socket of the tooth you had extracted, your primary goal in recovery should be to do everything in your power to avoid disturbing that clot. If you dislodge or disturb the blood clot, you could risk lengthening your recovery time or causing additional severe medical issues, like dry socket.

Vigorously rinsing out your mouth, using a straw, or drinking carbonated beverages could all risk disturbing the blood clot and leading to further issues and you should avoid it for at least 24 hours after your procedure.

Crunchy or hard to chew foods, like granola, nuts, and popcorn, could potentially damage any newly formed tissue if you try to eat them while you're still recovering. Wait at least a week before returning to your regular diet and favorite crunchy snacks.

Finally, while this one may seem unavoidable, especially if you're dealing with allergies, you should try to avoid blowing your nose for at least two weeks following your procedure.

Wisdom teeth removal can be stressful and scary. After all, it's a surgical procedure. But, if you know what to expect ahead of time, you can prepare yourself for the immediate aftermath.

Now that you know what to do after wisdom teeth removal, you can better plan and prepare for the aftermath of your procedure. So, you make sure your recovery goes as smoothly as possible.