Dentists perform wisdom tooth removal to help patients avoid impacted teeth, crowding, and painful infections. While this procedure is designed to protect your oral health, it does require a careful approach to recovery. As your mouth heals, you can expect to feel some discomfort for about three days as well as some difficulty chewing, speaking, or cleaning your mouth. Follow these after care tips to promote a more comfortable and speedier recovery.

7 After Care Guidelines for Wisdom Tooth Removal

1. Rest Up

Resting is critical to the healing process. Take a few days off to focus on recovery. If your schedule seems tight, try to schedule wisdom tooth removal on a Friday so you’ll have the weekend to relax.

2. Monitor Bleeding

Expect moderate bleeding in the first hours after surgery. Keep a gauze pad in your mouth to control the bleeding and change it out as necessary. Eventually, blood clots should form.

3. Use a Cold Compress for Swelling

Inflammation after surgery is normal, but it can be irritating. To reduce swelling, apply a cold compress—such as an ice pack wrapped in a towel—to each cheek for about 10 minutes at a time.

4. Follow Medication Instructions

Your dentist will likely prescribe pain relievers to help reduce inflammation and block pain signals as well as antibiotics to prevent infection. For the best healing experience and comfort, take these medications as instructed.

5. Clean Carefully

In the first few days after your surgery, brushing near the surgical site is not recommended since it can dislodge blood clots and cause dry sockets to form. To clean the area, gently rinse with a saltwater solution instead of brushing. Rather than spitting out the solution, let it fall out of the mouth.

6. Stick to Soft Foods

Sticky, hard, or chewy foods may not only be uncomfortable to eat, but also disturb the surgical site. To keep the treatment area intact and prevent dry sockets, eat soft foods that require little to no chewing, such as gelatin, pudding, noodles, soup, and yogurt.

7. Follow Up With Your Dentist

Make sure to see your dentist for a follow-up visit, during which they’ll check that the surgical site has healed properly. If you experience any complications during recovery, like excessive bleeding or infection, see them sooner.

If you’re concerned about wisdom teeth complications, turn to Brian S. Kubo, DDS, for a comprehensive dental checkup. Serving the Kamuela, HI, community for more than 20 years, this dentist offers many services to protect your smile, including preventive cleanings, composite fillings, dental implants, and periodontal disease treatment. Find more details on these services online, or call (808) 885-8465 to schedule an appointment.