The Do’s and Don’ts After Having Wisdom Teeth Removed

Usually, wisdom teeth appear in the late teens or early twenties. Properly aligned and strong wisdom teeth are an asset to your mouth. But if you have severely misaligned wisdom teeth, you might need to have them removed.

 

What Are Wisdom Teeth?

These are the last adult teeth to erupt or appear. If you are like most people, you have four wisdom teeth at the back of your mouth. The mouth goes through several changes during one’s lifetime.

 

A major change between the ages of 17 and 25 is the eruption or appearance of the third molars. The name wisdom teeth derives from the fact that they appear when one is at a more mature age.

 

Impacted Wisdom Teeth

Did you know that some individuals never develop wisdom teeth? For most people, wisdom teeth develop normally and cause no problems. However, many people develop impacted wisdom teeth that may not erupt or erupt only partially. Impacted wisdom teeth may:

 

• Grow straight down or up like other teeth but stay confined within your jawbone
   

• Grow at a sharp angle towards the second molar
   

• Grow at a right angle within the jawbone
   

• Face toward the back of your mouth
  
   

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Most people do not know that the extraction of one or more wisdom teeth is a major oral surgical procedure. The purpose of this surgical procedure is to remove the four permanent adult teeth at the bottom and top corners of the mouth.

 

Impacted wisdom teeth, which are adult teeth that do not have adequate room to grow, can result in infection, pain, and other dental problems. If you have an impacted wisdom tooth, you will likely need to have it extracted by a dentist or oral surgeon. Most dental professionals recommend the removal of impacted wisdom teeth even if they are not currently causing any pain or discomfort.

 

What to Do After Having Your Wisdom Teeth Removed

After having a wisdom tooth removed, you should take steps to help minimize swelling. Placing an ice pack on the affected side of your face for the first one or two days should minimize the swelling and help reduce the pain you experience. If you notice some bleeding after the tooth extraction, bite on your gauze until the bleeding stops.

 

Following the extraction, you should stay on a diet of soft foods and liquids for a few days and transition to harder foods as you heal. You also need to drink lots of fluids and perform jaw exercises, in addition to taking your pain medication as prescribed. You should start brushing your teeth about two days after your surgery. However, you should not brush the wisdom tooth extraction site.

 

What You Should Not Do After the Extraction

Do not smoke, use straws, or perform any sucking motions following surgery. Doing so can dislodge the blood clot that forms over the tooth extraction site. This can lead to more pain, bleeding, and other potential side effects. You should also stop applying ice packs after the first two days and switch to heat, either directly in your mouth or outside of the face.


 

To learn more about your wisdom teeth, contact Oral Surgical Associates at our offices in Missoula or Hamilton, Montana. You can call (406) 282-8768 today to schedule an appointment.