Wisdom teeth after care is a critical part of ensuring successful healing following wisdom teeth surgery. To make sure your recovery goes as smoothly and safely as possible, it’s important to avoid certain common mistakes. Here are the top 10 wisdom teeth aftercare mistakes you should make an effort to avoid.
1. Eating Hard or Chewy Foods:
One of the most important things to remember when recovering from wisdom teeth extraction is to avoid eating hard or chewy foods that could cause trauma to the wound site. This includes crunchy snacks, popcorn, nuts, and other tough-to-chew items. Stick with soft foods like scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce, soups, and yogurt until your doctor has cleared you for harder items.
2. Smoking:
Smoking can slow down the healing process significantly by reducing blood flow and depriving your gums of key nutrients needed for proper recovery. Ideally, you should quit smoking in preparation for your surgery but if not, it’s best to wait at least 72 hours before lighting up again after surgery so that your wounds have time to heal properly without interference from harmful toxins in cigarette smoke.
3. Drinking Alcohol:
Alcoholic beverages can also interfere with the healing process so it’s best to abstain from drinking alcohol for at least 48 hours after surgery (or longer if advised by your surgeon). In addition to interfering with healing, drinking alcohol increases the risk of bleeding and may increase discomfort due to its dehydrating effects on the body.
4. Swelling Management:
Swelling is normal after any oral surgery, including wisdom tooth removal, so it’s important to take steps ahead of time to minimize swelling after surgery, such as using cold compresses on the outside of your face or applying ice packs directly to the affected area(s). In addition, be sure to take any medication prescribed by your dentist/surgeon, which may include anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or corticosteroids, which can help reduce swelling more quickly and effectively than cold compresses alone.
5. Overexerting yourself:
Overexertion during recovery can lead to complications such as fever or increased pain/bleeding, so make sure you do not take part in any physical activity such as sports or heavy lifting until you have been cleared by both your surgeon and GP that it is safe for you to do so again (this is usually 2 weeks postoperatively). In addition, try to take breaks throughout the day if necessary to rest as much as possible during this period, rather than pushing yourself beyond what is comfortable for optimal results during the recovery period.
6. Ignore signs of infection:
It’s important to closely monitor signs of infection after wisdom tooth removal as there is always the possibility of bacteria entering open wounds if proper care is not taken. Signs of infection include persistent pain, tenderness, redness, discharge, swelling, etc. If these symptoms occur, be sure to contact the dentist immediately as they will likely prescribe antibiotics & further instructions on how to deal with the issue accordingly & get back on the road to full recovery.
7. Go without painkillers:
Taking advantage of prescription-grade painkillers prescribed by oral surgeons helps treat discomfort associated with wisdom tooth removal however some patients decide to go without them believing somehow their body will adjust naturally this is often not the case. If you are experiencing intense levels of discomfort be sure to speak up & let us know as soon as possible as untreated pain can delay overall healing progress among many other issues.
8. Not getting enough rest:
As mentioned above, overexertion is riskier than you might think when it comes to recovering from a wisdom tooth extraction, regardless of whether you feel ‘normal’ again soon after, putting your well-being at even greater risk. This is why doctors strongly recommend getting enough rest each night, which includes limiting screen time & avoiding caffeine while asleep, as stimulants disrupt natural sleep cycles needed to recover properly.
9. Brushing too early or too hard:
Although twice-daily brushing is recommended, it is usually better to allow at least 24 hours to pass between brushing sessions, especially during the first week when gums are still extremely sensitive. Brush gently when you start cleaning your mouth again, no matter how tempted you are, start scrubbing vigorously away at plaque build-up already present.
10. Neglecting follow-up appointments:
Lastly neglecting a follow-up appointment set shortly after initial surgery is the biggest mistake made among all patients out there who undergo extractions regularly if a scheduled appointment don’t keep it whole process becomes complicated extremely fast therefore must uphold commitment to appointments ensure staying on track with the entire treatment plan is efficient & successful despite busy lives can sometimes lead to
