The third set of molars at the back of both rows of teeth is on its way out, from an evolutionary perspective. As humans make this slow transition, wisdom teeth are erupting erratically — some have only one or two that erupt, some have none, and others have all four.
For people whose wisdom teeth do come out, these latecomers to your mouth can be problematic — they can crowd existing teeth or fail to erupt properly. And this is common — researchers estimate that about half of people have at least one wisdom tooth pulled by the age of 25.
If you find yourself in this boat and you’re scheduled for a tooth extraction at Willow Glen Dental Specialists, our team wants to share a few great best practices for at-home recovery.
One of your top priorities when you get home is to take care that you don’t disturb the extraction site(s). After we remove a tooth, we want a blood clot to form in the socket, which is a critical first step in the healing process.
So, we want you to avoid anything that might interfere with this process or that might disrupt a forming blood clot. Activities that can do that include:
You should avoid these activities for one to two days after your wisdom tooth extraction to allow time for the clot to form and settle in place.
During early recovery after your wisdom tooth extraction, you want to eat soft foods that don’t require chewing and that won’t get caught in your healing socket. So, think yogurt smoothies, mashed potatoes, and soups.
By day three, if everything feels OK, you can add more foods to your diet, but remain mindful about avoiding chewing foods near the extraction site.
There will be some bleeding and swelling after your extraction, which is normal. You can limit these side effects by keeping your head elevated, even while you sleep.
During the first few days, you may have some lingering soreness in your mouth, so we suggest taking some ibuprofen and using ice packs against your cheek to numb the pain.
Rinse your mouth with salt water, gently at first, to keep your mouth disinfected. We usually ask that you don’t do this during the first 24 hours — just leave your mouth undisturbed so it can heal. After 24 hours, if everything feels OK, you can start with salt water rinses.
During the first few days, you can swap out the gauze in your mouth for fresh pieces — the gauze is designed to collect any residual blood and protect your socket.
If you’re still bleeding after 24-48 hours or your pain is still considerable or even gets worse, please let us know right away. These can be signs of dry socket — the blood clot is dislodged — and we’ll want to address that as soon as possible.
Rest assured, most patients sail through the wisdom tooth extraction process without incident and come out the other side with improved oral health.
If you have more questions about your recovery from wisdom tooth extraction, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in San Jose, California, at 408-478-9081. You can also request your appointment using our convenient online form.
