Keeping Your Mouth Healthy After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Wisdom teeth usually appear when you are around 17-21 years old.  In some instances our wisdom teeth do not have sufficient space to erupt naturally and become impacted. When this happens, it is our clinical recommendation to extract the wisdom teeth to prevent them from becoming infected, damage neighboring teeth, or show signs of decay.

At Periodontist of Weston, Florida, Dr. Tamir Segal specializes in extracting wisdom teeth, one of the most common oral surgeries for teens and young adults. We offer IV sedation to make you more confortable during the surgery and more importantly you wont remember a thing!. Here, we walk through some steps you should take to protect your oral health after you’ve had your wisdom teeth extracted. 

The first few hours

Proper care of the mouth following all oral surgery procedures can reduce the complications and improve healing of the surgical site. You can expect minimal bleeding and swelling for a couple of days. If you see any bleeding, please apply firm pressure with the same gauze over the surgical area. 

Right after your extraction, you can expect to be numb for several hours. It is important to take the prescribed pain medication before the numbness subsides. Make sure you take your pain medication with a full stomach, which brings us to food. Good nutrition is important after any surgery to replenish your body of all of the key nutrients that it needs to heal. We recommend a soft diet for the first 3 days after surgery. Avoid any seed or grains  like nuts, popcorn, strawberries or any fruit with small seeds as small particles can get lodged in the surgical site. After the 3 days you can advance your diet, the main idea is to keep food as soft so you can cut it with a fork. We are trying to avoid any chewing forces on the back teeth which can exacerbate the pain or cause the clot to dislodge. 

Why does the blood clot matter? After your extraction, it’s the only thing protecting the surgical area. We want to promote excellent healing both in the bone and the gums, and the blood clot helps us achieve that. 

We also recommend that you take it easy for a while. You’ll need someone to drive you home from your appointment, and you should spend the next few days resting while you heal. No exercise or heavy lifting is recommended for 5 days following the extractions. Avoid any smoking or drinking alcohol because they can slow down the healing process and contribute to infection or dry socket. 

Adjusting your oral hygiene routine

You may be shocked to read this, but we recommend that you don’t brush or floss 24 hours after your extraction. The risk of dislodging the blood clot is simply too great, and you may even be too sore or swollen to brush properly. When you resume your oral hygiene routine, take extra care around the extraction sites. 

Need more information? Don’t hesitate to call our friendly staff at 954-385-9599 or book an appointment online at our Weston, Florida, office.