Wisdom Teeth
An impacted wisdom tooth can cause serious health issues. It can damage other teeth, lead to cysts, gum disease, and even benign tumors.
Wisdom teeth removal is a safe and common outpatient procedure. With proper care, you should not be too uncomfortable during wisdom teeth recovery. Please address any concerns you have ahead of time. Our Tryon Family Dentistry team will be able to reassure you and answer any questions you might have.
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Before Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery
Before your tooth extraction procedure, you will meet with Tryon Family Dentistry to discuss any questions you have about tooth extraction and wisdom teeth recovery. We’ll discuss any medications you take and go over your health history. You’ll then schedule an appointment for your wisdom teeth removal.
Typically, wisdom teeth removal takes about 45 minutes. The tooth extraction is not painful because you will be under the influence of anesthesia. You might be able to choose between general, oral sedation or IV sedation. Or our team will recommend the best option for your procedure. Either way, you will be numb or asleep during the entire wisdom teeth removal process.
Once the medication kicks in, our team will use dental surgical tools to cut your gums to remove the wisdom teeth. Our TFD doctors will stitch the wounds shut so your gums can heal quickly. These stitches dissolve on their own after a few days. So, you won’t need to come back to have your stitches removed.
Our TFD team will then reduce the medication so you can become alert again.
Aftercare
You will feel a little groggy after your tooth extraction surgery. You can expect some swelling and pain and a little blood in your mouth. Your Tryon Family Dentistry doctor will advise you on how to treat the pain. It could be with prescription painkillers or over-the-counter medicine.
Once you feel ready, you will be able to go home. You can’t drive for a certain amount of time after general anesthesia so you will need a ride home.
For the rest of the day, you will need to take it easy. You will probably spend the rest of the day sleeping or resting on your bed or a couch.
Wisdom Teeth Recovery
You must take care of your mouth when you get home to avoid infection or any complications. Follow the instructions of our team exactly.
Our team may tell you to rinse your mouth with salt water. If so, do not spit. Just let the water trickle out of your mouth into the sink. The dentist will give you lots of gauzes to take home. Feel free to change your gauze as often as you need. The gauze will absorb excess blood.
You should be able to resume your regular activities two or three days after wisdom teeth removal.
Manage Your Pain
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection. He or she will tell you how often to take pain relief medicine and for how long. Take the pain medication on time to avoid feeling unnecessary pain.
What to Eat After Removal
You can eat right away after your wisdom teeth removal. But you might not have much of an appetite right after your tooth extractions. For the first few days of wisdom teeth recovery, you should eat soft foods that do not need you to chew. You also need to be careful not to disrupt your stitches when eating. Start with soft foods such as pudding, applesauce, broth, smoothies, and milkshakes. Remember, staying well hydrated is crucial for your recovery. Make sure you avoid eating foods that are very hot. These could burn your tender gums at the site of the tooth extractions. Also don’t eat any nuts, seeds or hard, crunchy foods that can get stuck in the holes where your wisdom teeth were. Do not drink from a straw as this can dislodge your newly formed blood clots. Slowly begin eating heartier food as you feel up to it.
Making a Full Recovery
Most people fully recover from your wisdom teeth removal after three or four days. But, if you had an impacted wisdom tooth, your recovery could be as long as a week. Yet, the pain and swelling should be much improved by the third day.
Though your surgical wounds will take months to fully heal, you should be able to resume normal activities after a day or so. You should avoid smoking, heavy exercise, and drinking from a straw for a while yet.
You can develop an infection even weeks or months after wisdom tooth removal. Make sure to make your oral hygiene a top priority.
If you develop excessive bleeding, unbearable pain, fever, more and more swelling, numbness or blood or pus coming out of your nose, contact your doctor immediately. Complications such as these could mean you have nerve damage or an infection.
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