Did you know that the number of wisdom teeth will vary from person to person? If you want to learn about the recovery process, we can help.

In this guide, we’ll go over what to expect when recovering from wisdom teeth surgery.

Want to learn more? Keep reading.

1. Make Sure to Drink Beverages

After the dental surgery, you want to make sure you drink plenty of water.

Avoid any alcoholic or caffeinated beverages. Don’t drink hot drinks or carbonated drinks for at least one day. Don’t drink from straws. Sucking on a straw could disrupt the blood clot and remove it.

2. Plan Ahead for the Recovery

You should make sure to plan your recovery period. Your dentist will provide you with info about the procedure.

An oral surgeon will suggest taking some time off from school or work. Give yourself a chance to recover. Ask someone to drive you home. For the first few hours, see if they can stay with you and help you.

3. Protect the Surgical Area

Remain aware of the recovery period. You should be careful for at least six weeks after the surgery.

This is the time when an infection could occur. Also, people might end up with a complication if they don’t maintain good oral hygiene practices.

Make sure you continue with proper oral care. Try not to touch the surgical area. You don’t want to add debris or germs there. Your surgeon will instruct how you can prevent an infection.

4. Prepare for Bleeding

After removing wisdom teeth, the surgeon will give you some gauze to bite. You will bite on the gauze to stem the bleeding. After half a day,
you should switch the gauze.

5. Pick up Ice Packs

After the surgery, you may experience swelling. Place ice packs on the exterior of your mouth. People will experience swelling. An ice pack on the outside of your mouth will help minimize bruising and swelling.

If you had a tooth infection before surgery, use a warm compress or face cloth.

6. Gargle With Salt Water

To help the healing process along, consider rinsing your mouth with warm water and salt.

You can help lower the pain and swelling. Use the mixture the day after the surgery. You can do it a couple of times a day.

7. Consume More Fluids

It would help if you consumed a liquid diet for the initial 24 hours. Drink enough fluids so you can avoid dehydration.

Switch to consuming soft foods after the first day. Make sure you consume soft foods for at least a week.

Don’t use a straw. If you loosen the blood clot, you could expose the nerves and bones.

The condition is called a dry socket and is super painful. If you want a relieving and cooling sensation near the area, eat ice cream.

8. Don’t Stop Moving Your Jaw

During the recovery period, keep moving your jaw.

You should try to do exercises like slowly opening and closing your mouth. You will feel stiffness in your mouth afterward. Loosen up the stiffness by moving your mouth and jaw.

9. You Might Want to Use Medication

You can use medicine to ease any pain you feel. Your dentist will prescribe medications and antibiotics.

This way, you can avoid infections and lower the pain. Choose over-the-counter medicine if you need pain relief.

Avoid driving or drinking and don’t operate machinery either. You don’t want to use strong pain relief medication.

10. Rest up Well

You should take your time recovering after the surgery.

Relax and keep your head elevated, and use pillows. Don’t exercise the week after the surgery. You should avoid any strenuous exercises.

11. Avoid Certain Foods

Eating and drinking enough fluids is essential for your recovery. You might not have a strong appetite after the surgery. Make sure you avoid food that’s difficult to chew.

You don’t want to disrupt your stitches or blood cut if you chew too much. Look at eating foods like apple sauce, soup, mashed potatoes, pudding, and cottage cheese.

Avoid super-hot foods. You don’t want to burn the surgery site. Seeds or nuts could get stuck in a small hole where your wisdom teeth were.

Avoid slurping from a spoon, and don’t use a straw.

Benefits of Removing Your Wisdom Teeth

You will eliminate orthodontic problems. If your wisdom teeth develop and erupt, they will end up overcrowding your mouth. Your wisdom teeth will end up causing alignment problems.

The teeth will get pushed out of the way. When you remove the wisdom teeth, you could end up preventing the need for braces or corrective surgery.

If you had braces, wisdom teeth removal would lessen the likelihood that your smile will get undone.

You’ll also prevent any damage to nearby teeth. The pressure caused by wisdom teeth will loosen or weaken the roots of nearby teeth. Neighboring teeth will end up being vulnerable to bone loss or cavities.

Dental cavities or gum disease could occur from impacted ones. A consequence of impacted wisdom teeth is inflammation of the gums.

If you end up with infections under your gums, you could end up with a condition called sepsis. Sepsis can end up affecting the rest of your body.

Are you wondering if you need to get your teeth removed? Learn about the signs you’ll need to book a wisdom teeth removal procedure.

Prepare for Wisdom Teeth Surgery Recovery

We hope this guide on wisdom teeth surgery recovery was helpful. Look at getting your wisdom teeth extracted but make a recovery plan. You’ll want someone to drive you home after the procedure.

So you need more health tips? Check out our resources on the blog.