Many people do not look forward to having their teeth extracted. After all, it is hardly ever a pleasant procedure. It involves a lot of pain, and for a lot of people, they are not only going to deal with the unpleasant procedure but being in quite a bit of pain afterwards as well. In some cases, they may not even be able to eat their favorite food for a while. However, it isn’t important procedure because in some cases, the tooth needs to be extracted, for example, if there is a very large cavity that is causing a lot of pain.
One type of tooth extraction that is important is wisdom teeth extraction. In some situations, this will be a basic tooth extraction, although it will vary based on the person. Many people might wonder about how they are supposed to take care of themselves after the tooth extraction has taken place. They might wonder about things such as the best mouth rinse after tooth extraction, best mouthwash for tooth extraction, and other products that they should use after the procedure. Before they get the procedure, they might want to look at who the best tooth extraction dentist is, so that they are getting the best services possible.
Wisdom teeth are sort of like a set of third molars. They are necessarily important now as they used to be. Dental care has improved over the years, meaning less people loose teeth therefore wisdom teeth don’t necessarily have a spot to emerge. When wisdom teeth do not have the room to emerge they become impacted, and must be removed. This procedure is a fairly common procedure that is performed on roughly five million Americans each year from teenage years through early adulthood. With this procedure being so common, you can bet there are a few tried and true tips to help ease the recovery from this procedure.
Elevation
After tooth removal surgery, especially wisdom teeth extractions, keeping your head elevated for the first few days can greatly relieve some pressure and discomfort. Increase the number of pillows to keep your head elevated. This helps hold the blood clots in place so that they don’t get loose and move. When the blood clots move, throbbing can commence causing pain and discomfort.
Ice
It is recommended that you drink cold drinks for the first few days after the oral doctor chooses to remove a tooth, or an extraction, but you should also consider ice on the outside of your teeth. The ice on the outside of your mouth will help numb the jaw bone while the cold drink will help numb the gums.
Massage
There is a muscle that will be incredibly sore after a wisdom tooth extraction, and massaging this muscle will help with the pain and help you recover faster. The dentist or oral surgeon who chose to remove a tooth had to open your mouth incredibly wide and leave it open for an extended amount of time. This causes pain in the muscle called your messeter muscle. This muscle is best felt if you feel right in front of the opening of each ear. Massaging this muscle will help with some tenderness left over from the procedure, and help you heal much faster.
Salt Water
Rinsing your mouth with salt water serves two purposes. First and foremost it removes food particles left in your mouth after eating. Secondly the salt will help heal the wounds that much faster. Rinsing with salt water ensures bacteria is removed while speeding up the healing process significantly.
Frozen Wash Cloth
Many people think of this for younger children when they are teething, but they are helpful for those recovering from a surgical procedure to remove a tooth or remove multiple teeth. Placing a washrag in the freezer then chewing on it serves two purposes. It provides something soft that will not hurt the already tender area, and it’s frozen and cold meaning it will numb the gums and help with pain.
Check Food Temperature
Just as you do for young children, you will want to test the temperature of the food that you eat before you eat it. Soft foods will be your best friend during recovery and while you do not need to worry so much about how cold the food is, you do need to check the warmer foods. Foods like soups and pastas can be too hot for your gums, which are already incredibly sensitive, and cause you more pain. Double check to make sure warm foods are room temperature before eating.
These tips are useful for anyone having a dentist remove a tooth, or remove multiple teeth. Tooth extraction, or removal is not a fun process for anyone, however it is usually necessary for the continued health and well being of your mouth, gums and jaw bones. Use these tip to alleviate pain and reduce recovery time after a surgical tooth or teeth extraction.