What to expect after Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Tips for Wisdom Teeth Recovery

Bleeding / Brushing

Is bleeding after wisdom teeth removal normal?

Some bleeding/oozing for the next 24 hours is normal, but it should not be excessive. It should not be welling up in your mouth, oozing out of your lips, or soaking a gauze completely through over the course of 30 mins.

How long do I need to keep gauze in after wisdom teeth removal?

You should be biting down on gauze when you leave the office. Keep biting firmly on this gauze for 30 minutes or until you get home. You may then remove it and if you are no longer bleeding, you do not need to replace it.

If bleeding resume, place a lightly moistened gauze over the extraction site and bite down firmly. Maintain firm pressure for at least 30 minutes. During this time, do not release the pressure to talk, eat, drink, or smoke. You may need to repeat this process a few times, but the bleeding should become less and less with each gauze.

Alternatively, if you feel the gauze is not helping, wrap a teabag with one gauze, moisten it and bite down on it for 30 minutes. It must be regular black tea.

Swelling

Is it normal to have swelling after Wisdom Teeth Removal?

  • Some swelling is normal. If swelling dramatically increases over a short period of time (over the course of a few hours) or gets worse after having gotten better, please call our office.
  • Call our office immediately if swelling occurs in any of these areas: under your jawline or in the neck area, under the tongue, in your through, or in your eyelids.
  • If you develop difficulty breathing or swallowing, you must go to the nearest emergency department.

How to reduce swelling after Wisdom Teeth Removal

  • To control swelling, keep your head elevated when you sleep for the next 2 days.
  • Apply an ice pack or a package of frozen peas to the face where the surgery was performed for 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off, while you are awake, for the first day.
  • Always place a towel or a paper towel folded 2-3 times between the ice pack on your skin.

Diet

Follow a soft, mushy diet for at least a week after surgery and avoid small foods with small particles that can get caught in the surgical sites. After that, you may be able to slowly increase the consistency of your diet based on your comfort level.

Examples of soft foods include:

  • Protein drinks
  • Yogurt
  • Pasta
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Pudding
  • and soups without small particles.

Foods with small particles to avoid:

  • Oatmeal
  • Rice
  • Foods containing nuts or seeds.

Activity

You will need to avoid certain things to ensure control of bleeding, pain, and swelling. Additionally, you may experience a dry socket, delayed healing, or infection by not following these instructions.  Dr. Smith may provide additional instructions on things to avoid, but at least avoid the items in the list below.

Avoid the following activities after Wisdom Teeth Removal:

  • Smoking for at least 1 week(but preferably forever)
  • Drinking through a straw for at least 1 week
  • Mouth rinsing and spitting on the day of surgery unless otherwise instructed.
  • Strenuous activity like heavy lifting, running, cycling, swimming for 1 week unless directed otherwise by Dr. Smith
  • Avoid playing with the surgical site with your tongue or picking at the surgical site

You should do the following:

  • Brush your teeth — start very gently the night of your surgery or the next day. When rinsing, do so very gently.
  • Rinse your mouth gently 3 times per day with salt water( a pinch of salt in a cup of warm water), starting tomorrow, and continue for 1-2 weeks. Dr. Smith may prescribe a mouth rinse to be used in addition to the saltwater rinses. If you were given a syringe to rinse with, you may use it as directed but not sooner than 5 days after surgery.

Pain

How much pain is normal after Wisdom Teeth Removal?

A certain amount of pain is to be expected. A sudden increase in severe pain, especially after an initial improvement could be a sign of a problem like infection, so if this occurs, please contact our office. However, you should expect to be required to come in to be seen if you call to request additional pain medication as we will need to determine the cause of your pain.

Pain Management

Dr. Smith may have given you prescription pain medication. If you were given an opiod pain reliever(including but not limited to Norco, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Percocet, Oxycodone, Tylenol with Codeine, or Codeine), you MUST NOT drive a car, operate heavy machinery, drink alcohol, use marijuana, use illicit substances, or other sedatives while taking this medication.

Dr. Smith will discuss with you the options for use of over-the-counter pain medications appropriate to your condition.

Allergy

If you develop a rash, welts, or itching, stop taking any medication that was prescribed for your surgical care and call our office immediately. If you develop swelling of your tongue, lips, throat, or develop wheezing/difficulty breathing, go to your nearest emergency department.

Sutures (Stitches)

If sutures were placed, they most likely will dissolve in a week or less.

If you had an implant or a bone graft placed, or if you felt you need the suture to stay in place longer, you may have had very slowly dissolving or non-dissolving sutures placed. If this is the case, you will need to return for the follow-up to have them removed.

Follow-Up

Dr. Smith will advise you whether a follow-up appointment is required. Please keep your appointment, as follow-up care is very important to the healing process.

If a follow-up appointment was not recommended, but you are concerned about healing, please let us know and we will be happy to get you scheduled!