How to Get Over Wisdom Teeth Extractions

Wisdom teeth are the teeth farthest back in the mouth. These teeth often don't emerge properly; they may become impacted or cause overcrowding when they do emerge. In either case, they must be removed for health and cosmetic reasons. Good aftercare of the extraction sites is important to lessen pain, promote healing and prevent a condition called "dry socket." It may take a week to several weeks before your mouth feels normal again, but taking proper care of yourself will help.

Things You'll Need

• Ice pack
• Beverages
• Soft foods
• Pain medication
• Hot compress
• Salt

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Instructions

• 1

  Place an ice pack gently against the outside of your face, near the painful area, off and on during the first 24 hours, to reduce swelling. During this 24-hour period, you should also avoid disturbing the extraction areas in any way. This means you should avoid smoking, sucking on straws or eating anything that could irritate the area. Sucking or spitting can force the blood clot forming over the areas to break loose; the blood clots are important because they protect the empty sockets and aid healing. Without the clot, the site may develop the painful condition called "dry socket," in which the bone and nerves are exposed to the air and healing is delayed.

• 2

  Take prescribed medicine for pain, or use an over-the-counter medication suggested by your dentist or oral surgeon. Warm compresses placed against the jaw may also help relieve some pain after the swelling has gone down.

• 3

  Eat only soft foods, such as applesauce, yogurt and soups, for the first three days, at least, following the wisdom teeth extraction. This will prevent hard particles of food from getting embedded in the extraction sites, causing pain or infection.

• 4

  Take the full course of antibiotics, if you were prescribed them. This is important because the weakest bacteria get killed off first, leaving stronger strains. If you stop the course of antibiotics prematurely, the stronger germs will flourish and perhaps even become resistant to the antibiotic you were prescribed.

• 5

  Avoid sloshing fluids around in your mouth, unless your dentist or oral surgeon tells you otherwise; this can dislodge the blood clot that has formed over the extraction area. An exception is a salt-water rinse, which may be recommended, but should be done gently.