Oral surgery can disrupt your everyday eating, exercise, and recreational habits and cause major pain. Wisdom teeth removal leaves large holes in the back of your mouth, can come with stitches, and can potentially become infected. While wisdom teeth extraction can be scary, taking some small steps and extra caution should help keep you healthy. Below is a small list of things to avoid after wisdom teeth removal.
Avoid Drinking Through Straws
After the wisdom teeth removal, you will want to avoid sucking on candy or through a straw. Sucking in the air can cause what is known as a dry socket, which can be extremely painful in your surgery sites. A dry socket is caused when a blood clot that has formed after your surgery dislodges or dissolves before the wound is fully healed. Switch to drinking with regular glasses, and openings in cups, and avoid hard candies after wisdom teeth removal.
Don’t Smoke Or Drink Alcohol
Wisdom teeth removal leaves you with open wounds that need to clot and cover before doing certain activities. Smoking can also cause infections in your surgery sites or lead to dry sockets. Smoking is similar to drinking through a straw and can cause your blood clot to become dislodged. If a dry socket occurs, your nerves in the surgery sites are exposed and can be painful, especially when drinking alcohol or acidic drinks.
Avoid Sticky Foods
Your dentist or oral surgeon will most likely tell you to follow a soft food diet, this means avoiding chewing anything sticky, crunchy, or chewy. Pieces of the food can become stuck in the wisdom teeth holes and cause irritation or infection. Moving your jaw too much or jerking your jaw can cause pain after wisdom teeth removal. Your mouth will be sore for at least a few days and pain will depend on the specific patient.
Each patient will have a different recovery process depending on how the wisdom teeth removal was performed. It may be a few days until you can eat your favorite foods or a couple of weeks. You will know your body best and be able to make these decisions for yourself.
Use Gauze Until The Bleeding Stops
In order to help the blood clot in your wisdom teeth removal sites, you will have gauze placed into your mouth. The gauze helps to keep the blood from dripping down your throat or filling your mouth. Some patients are uncomfortable with gauze and may want to remove it from their mouths as soon as possible. Even if you are uncomfortable with the texture or taste of the gauze, leaving it in your mouth until the bleeding stops is crucial to helping the bleeding clot.
You can replace the gauze if it becomes too saturated, but keeping it there until the bleeding stops will help you heal faster.
Take A Break From Strenuous Activity
Running, lifting, swimming, jumping, or other strenuous activities should be avoided after major surgery. Wisdom teeth removal can be traumatic for your body and strenuous activity can cause you more pain and slow the healing process. Because your sites need to clot, strenuous activity can dislodge them and make the healing process take a turn.
Ask For Help And Support
For those with dental or health anxiety, having your wisdom teeth removed can be very stressful. It can also be hard to eat, sleep, or go about your day without help. Getting some rest and asking someone to help you with food, water, and household chores can help you focus on your healing.
If you are worried about infections or dry sockets, asking your family or friends for support during this process can help give you peace of mind. Friends and family can help get you soft foods, take care of children while you rest, clean your house, or help keep you distracted from the pain.
Dental Services With Northview Dental
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Northview Dental offers dental cleanings, sealants, dental fillings, porcelain veneers, and more! We can help patients in North Ogden and surrounding areas feel more confident in their smile and oral health. Contact us to schedule an appointment today!
