Every year, millions of people head to the dentist to get the same type of surgery done: the removal of their wisdom teeth. This procedure is done for many reasons: to prevent crowding, infection, disease, and more. The period after wisdom tooth extraction can be a little daunting. The recovery time varies from person to person, and it’s easy to feel out of it for a good window of time. However, preparing for your recovery can help make getting through this period a little bit easier.
If you’re worried about recovering quickly from a wisdom tooth procedure, which tips and tricks should you be aware of? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
- Keep Gauze Pads Nearby
In the days following your wisdom tooth extraction, you’re going to be experiencing a lot of blood. According to this expert dentist in Fort Lauderdale, the bleeding should stop within the first 4 hours after the extraction. However, occasional bleeding may still occur for up to 2 weeks. This is just the unfortunate truth. If you’re someone that gets squeamish around the idea of blood, you need to prepare yourself for this reality.
Of course, there’s more preparation you can do than just the mental variety. It’s a good idea to go and purchase a number of gauze pads that you bite down on in the hours and days following the procedure.
Gauze pads can help stop the flow of blood at the extraction site. This will also help blood clots to form at the extraction sites themselves, which are vital to your overall recovery period. You can read a little more about wisdom teeth removal to understand why these clots do form.
Blood clots can protect the exposed wounds in your mouth from further infection. That makes these clots essential to your overall health.
Biting down on the pads gently any time you feel the flow of blood coming is generally a good routine to get into once your surgery is done. You may have to keep the pad in your mouth for a full five minutes or longer if the bleeding doesn’t immediately stop.
Keeping an ice pack to the side that can be used is also a good idea to help numb the mouth and stop the flow of blood. This will help to keep the swelling down, which can get quite out of control following this kind of procedure.
- Lots of Fluids and Soft Foods
One of the most important steps of your recovery is going to have to deal with your diet. In the first 24 hours after your wisdom teeth removal Las Vegas, your dentist will likely recommend that you maintain a liquid diet.
This means no solid foods at all. You’ll be drinking water, maybe smoothies. Nothing that you would need to chew and break down with your teeth.
Once that initial twenty-four-hour period has passed, you can switch on over to a diet of soft foods. You want to still avoid foods that require a lot of chewing during this time, as putting too much pressure on the wounds in your mouth can lead to injury or infection.
While drinking your fluids, you’ll want to avoid using a straw as well. The sucking motion that a straw requires can loosen the blood clots in your mouth and expose your bones. That is not a good situation to be in, it can be very painful.
This kind of condition is known as dry socket and should certainly be avoided.
If you want to feel some sense of relief after eating, purchasing cold foods such as smoothies and ice creams will have an added benefit. The cool temperatures that these products provide will help to numb the pain in your mouth.
- Rest is Necessary
Who wouldn’t want to speed up their recovery following teeth extraction surgery? It’s no fun to be on the down and out after this kind of work. Everyone wants to be better and get back to their life as quickly as possible.
However, it’s important to make peace with the fact that recovery is going to take as long as it needs. The best thing you can do to recover quickly is not to push things, but to rest.
Giving your body a lot of time to rest will conserve energy and allow more bodily resources to be put towards your recovery. Create a comfortable little recovery for yourself in a bed with elevated pillows.
Have friends or family help you with any physically demanding tasks and avoid exercise for the week or two following your surgery. Put all your focus on resting up so you can be back on your feet in a real way sooner rather than later.
- Keep Your Mouth Clean
One thing that can really extend the recovery time following a wisdom tooth extraction is an infection of any sort. This is why it is of the utmost importance to keep your mouth clean following an infection.
You’ll need to follow your medical professional’s orders as it pertains to cleaning. You may be allowed to brush your teeth the night of the surgery or you may be told to wait.
You’ll need to be very gentle when brushing so as not to damage the blood clots that are protecting the wounds in your mouth. Using warm salt winter to rinse your mouth numerous times a day following surgery can help to keep things clean.
Recovering After Wisdom Tooth Extraction
It is not unusual to be in a lot of pain after wisdom tooth extraction surgery. It is also not unlikely to want to recover as soon as possible! The above tips and tricks can help you to get back on your feet in a swift amount of time.
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