Did you just get an operation for your teeth? Speeding up the process of healing means resting and more. Learn more about the aftercare here.
Almost everyone will always be dreading of that day where they’ll have their wisdom tooth pulled out. While most of the pop culture will peddle trips to the dentist and wisdom tooth removals as painful while being an intricate process, in reality, you won’t feel any type of pain.
In most cases, after most people have finished their dental surgery, it’s common for them to resume their daily tasks and work. In reality, it is recommended that resting should be a top priority. Your mouth is one of the most sensitive parts of your body, with thousands of nerve endings that can taste, and often, feel pain, so it’s no surprise that having a painful ‘wound’ on your mouth could distract you from your day.
No worries, the wisdom tooth is an evolutionary relic that doesn’t have a purpose anymore, so removing it shouldn’t cause you any problems. However, right after surgery, you should be resting and focusing more on the healing process. Your mouth is a warm, damp area where millions of bacteria can easily thrive on; it only takes one wrong decision to risk infection.
Recovery Timeline
Just to set your expectations, right after your surgery, you should expect swelling, bruises, and long periods of pain in your mouth area. If you’re a healthy individual, you won’t have to worry too much about the pain the sudden swellings since it will subside as days go by.
Even though we can wait out the healing process, one thing that we have to be mindful of is our daily activities, which might cause complications in healing. There are still some necessities that we have to attend to, one of which is eating.
Don’t worry. While you’re in the process of recovering, you can still go through with your daily tasks. As long as you’re not exposing yourself to rigorous physical activities, smoking, drinking through a straw, and spitting, you won’t have any problem with the healing process.
Here’s a timeline of how long your affected tooth will take to recover and what are the necessary steps that you have to take after your tooth extraction:
- In 24 hours, blood clotting will start to take effect. While it might seem like you can start eating whatever you like, just remember that the healing process is still ongoing. Alcohol is a big no-no since this will thin out your blood, which can cause bleeding.
- After two to three days, your swellings will start to recede, and being able to chew won’t be a problem anymore.
- After a week, visit your periodontist to remove the surgical stitches.
- At ten days right after your surgery, your jaw will already have the healed to the point that pain should be minimal.
- Lastly, after two weeks, your remaining small bruises should subside.
Even though we have set a timeline, this will only serve as a guide and shouldn’t be strictly followed, as the healing process will always be different for everyone. Some practices, such as chewing, can damage areas that are clotting, and other factors can affect the healing process. In some cases, pre-existing conditions should also be taken into account. If you are sure about where you are in these five stages of healing, you can always consult your dentist and get the necessary pain relievers if needed.
Speeding Up The Process
Since blood clothing will form a solid barrier between the soft flesh of the damaged area and any type of physical trauma, most people would pass this as a sign that they can eat anything. Still, it is highly recommended not to dislodge this clotting within the same day. Blood clotting is there for a reason, and it’s to heal the wound.
However, it’s still imperative to refrain from:
- Rinsing the affected area since water can soften the blood clotting process
- Eating hard and crunchy food
- Sucking on a straw since it creates unnecessary pressure.
- Drinking of alcoholic beverages and smoking
Ultimately, you don’t have to do much other than wait for your mouth to heal. Slowly but surely, the affected area will improve, and you can go back to doing your daily activities.
While the healing process might take a while, it’s important to remember that damaging the delicate linings of the affected area can be a catalyst for more treatment. Right after your dental operation, just kick back and relax. You deserve it.
You don’t need to be too conscious about your tooth’s healing process – it will heal in due time. If you feel like there’s something ‘off’ on how your affected tooth feels, don’t hesitate to contact your periodontist.