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How to Pre­pare for Wis­dom Tooth Surgery

Wis­dom tooth surgery can be very daunt­ing; after all, it does have the word surgery” in it. While it might be a scary sound­ing pro­ce­dure, the recov­ery can be made eas­i­er by sim­ply mak­ing sure you are prepared.

There are a few things you might need to stock up on and be prepared for in order to streamline your recovery. By following these steps, you can recover faster and get back to your normal life without incident.

Wisdom tooth surgery is very safe, but there are some risk factors you need to be aware of. These issues could slow down recovery and could require you to have further treatment. Your dentist will remind you of these potential risk factors before you head home from your surgery, so you can feel confident during the recovery period.

Preparing for wisdom tooth surgery: the basics

The first thing you need to remember is that you will need rest in the days and possibly even weeks following your surgery. Depending on the number of teeth to be removed and the location, you might be facing swelling and discomfort for a few weeks.

Make sure you take the appropriate amount of time off work to ensure you can recover fully. You may be on strong painkillers in the days following your treatment, so you won’t even be able to work from home, and your employer likely won’t want you to attempt this.

After you have arranged leave from work, make sure you also cancel social commitments, gym classes, and arrange child care if required. Drinking alcohol is not advised in the days following your treatment as this can increase the risk of bleeding. You will also have some swelling and possibly some bruising, so you likely won’t want to be social anyway.

What can you eat following wisdom tooth surgery?

Nutrition in the days following your surgery might be more difficult, which is why being prepared will help. You might need to change your diet and perhaps reach for food you wouldn’t normally eat. Don’t worry as this will be a short-term change and you will soon be back to your usual diet. Recommended foods in the days following your surgery include:

  • Soft food like mashed potato, scrambled egg, yoghurt, porridge and banana.

  • You can enjoy meal replacement smoothies, but you can’t drink these through a straw.

Avoid anything crunchy or anything that requires lots of chewing. Your jaw may ache in the days following your treatment so you will welcome the break from chewing your food.

Make sure you serve food at the right temperature. Food that is very hot or very cold might hurt the extraction site, so it’s best to keep things lukewarm. Spicy food could also irritate your mouth, so this should also be avoided.

Controlling your pain after wisdom tooth surgery

The biggest concern that most people have after tooth surgery is managing their pain. You can expect some discomfort as the extraction site heals, but this can be managed if you are prepared.

You can take over the counter medication such as ibuprofen and paracetamol to control the inflammation and the pain. It’s possible to combine the two, provided you don’t exceed the daily dose for either one.

You can also use things like a cold compress on your face to help ease your discomfort and reduce swelling and bruising. Swelling usually takes around 2-3 days to reach its peak and then around 7-10 days to subside. Taking antiinflammatories like ibuprofen can help you to control this.

Anecdotal evidence also suggests that drinking pineapple juice in the weeks before your surgery can help to minimise the swelling. Pineapple juice contains a substance called bromelain which helps to minimise swelling in the body. Stocking up on pineapple juice could therefore help to prepare your body.

Getting back to normal after wisdom tooth surgery

You should give yourself 2-3 days of complete rest and downtime following your surgery. Your body needs time to rest so that it can start the process of repairing the extraction site. After this, you can start to listen to your own body and slowly reintroduce activities.

You should avoid any strenuous activities for at least 2 weeks and up to 4 weeks. This includes things like exercise and lifting heavy items. If you work in a physically demanding job, you may need to take more time off work than someone who works in a less physically demanding role.

You’ll need to take good care of your teeth in the time following your procedure. Rinsing with salt water can help to alleviate the pain while also supporting healing. Brush your teeth carefully, avoiding the extraction site.

If you use mouthwash, avoid swishing this too much and make sure it doesn’t contain alcohol, as this could dry out the extraction site and lead to pain.

The gum should close after around 2 weeks, but it can take months for the extraction site to fully heal.

When to call your dentist

If you’re concerned about the extraction site at any point, you should get in touch with your dentist. Start with a phone consultation and find out if you need to go into the practice. If you have uncontrolled bleeding, go straight to your dentist. If this happens out of hours, call the NHS 111 helpline to find out where your nearest emergency dentist is.

Worried about your wisdom tooth surgery? Get in touch with our team to find out how we can help to put you at ease.

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The Implant and Cosmetic Smiles Clinic

27 Bed­ford Square,
Houghton Reg­is,
Dun­sta­ble,
LU5 5ES

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