Tips for Healing After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

A wisdom-tooth extraction can leave you feeling sore for quite some time. Gum tissue will typically heal in about a month, but you will need to do a few things to help yourself heal during that time. Take your doctor's advice and get some rest in the few days after the surgery and then ease your pain, control your bleeding and keep the area clean until your gums are fully healed.

Ease the Pain

• The doctor will give you painkillers for a reason...a wisdom-tooth extraction procedure hurts afterward! Ease the pain by taking your pain medication on a regular basis as suggested. Dental Fear Central suggests using ibuprofen and avoiding anything with aspirin as this can thin the blood.

  You may also want to sleep in an upright position by stacking several pillows underneath your head. This will help to minimize pain and reduce swelling as well.

  To control any unwanted pain during mealtimes, stick to soft foods such as smoothies, soups and yogurt. This will help prevent any pain caused by chewing or food sticking in the sockets where your wisdom teeth once were.

Control the Bleeding

• A gauze dressing is typically used on the surgery site to control bleeding and soak up any excess blood and saliva. Change this gauze as often as needed (typically every hour in the first few days). When you first put the gauze in, Dental Fear Control suggests biting down for pressure to control any bleeding.

  Avoid brushing your teeth in the back for the first few days of healing and instead, use a mouth rinse. A toothbrush applied too much can dislodge the blood clot that is forming (and necessary for healing) and cause excessive bleeding.

Keep it Clean

• Keep the area where your wisdom teeth were removed nice and clean. This will help you avoid any infection or problems due to bacteria. There are several ways to keep the area clean; first, rinse your mouth (although no rinsing for the first 24 hours after surgery) with warm salt water throughout the day (after meals) to help clean the area and get any food particles out of your sockets. Special mouth rinses or rinsing syringes are sometimes prescribed by the doctor to help clean the area as well.