A wisdom tooth removal could take a serious toll on your physical fitness. Post-surgery, it is highly advised by dentists that you live in a very meticulous manner. Any disturbance near the surgical may not only make the excruciating pain worse but might even lead to further complexities. To guide you comprehensively through this recovery phase, here are the 8 tips that you must adhere to.
1. Keep your diet under control
It might be very tempting to get back to your normal diet after the first week from the surgery, when the pain gradually starts to subside. However, do not jump straight into your regular diet. It is advised that you rely highly on liquids for the first week. When the pain is lower at the start of the second week, you may try out puddings, ice creams, and even yogurt. Stay away from meat at any cost! For a complete guide on the diet that you may follow, you may go through the 24 food recipes from BuzzFeed that would help you during a wisdom tooth removal recovery!
2. Take enough rest
Even your dentist would warn you against being involved in any form of heavy physical activity. Ideally, you must give yourself 3-5 days before you can get back to your regular physical activities. Until then, take enough time to rest your head, elevated by pillows!
3. Use saltwater and tea-bags
There would be a lot of pain and swelling following in the few days post the surgery. To tackle this, create a mouth rinse made of a cup of warm water and two teaspoons of salt. Use this rinse after every meal or drink, to keep the swelling and pain away. You may also encounter unusual bleeding. Apply tea-bags to the area. Tea leaves are known to soothe pain and also help in clotting.
4. Get over that stiffness
It is very common to feel a stiff mouth, post the surgery. Do not hesitate in trying to slowly open up your mouth at times. Make sure you don’t open it up too wide, though! The idea is to get over the stiffness in a gradual manner so that the stiffness does not last longer than it should.
5. Don’t blow your nose
This tip might not seem to be too useful at first, but it is a lifesaver! The pressure you create when you blow your nose is enough to dislodge the clot near the surgery area. This can create far too many complications, profuse bleeding being one of them. As a matter of fact, try and hold in sneezes too, if possible.
6. Take prescribed medications
Some medicines like Oxycodone and Vicodin are likely to be prescribed to you by your dentist himself. In case of intolerable pain, always consult your dentist before taking over-the-counter medications. You never know the side effects and if any of those would worsen your condition. Also, remember never to overdose on any medication, regardless of the circumstance.
7. Avoid smoke and alcohol
An article published by Colgate on its official website says:
If you are taking a strong narcotic pain medication, you’ll be asked not to drive or operate machinery and to avoid alcoholic beverages.
Smoking is dangerous at this stage too. The tar contained in the smoke may infect the healing area in the mouth.
8. Keep your mouth clean
Despite every bit of caution, do keep healthy oral hygiene. Rinse your mouth gently, brush gently, and after the first week, you may even start to floss gently (avoiding the surgical area). Do not let the bacteria settle in your mouth, which elongates the healing process.
Don’t worry! It is not as tough as it may look at first. Once the pain subsides in the first few days from the surgery, it would become much easier to follow these tips. All you need to do is to do things gently and carefully under the guidance of a professional dentist near you who is expert in wisdom tooth extraction procedure. That doesn’t hurt much!
