The four permanent adult teeth located at the corners of the mouth on both top and bottom are called Wisdom teeth. Most teenagers get the wisdom tooth in their late teens or early twenties. If Wisdom teeth are properly aligned in your mouth, then these teeth can be a very valuable asset to your mouth.
But sometimes, these teeth don’t get proper room to grow, leading to developing pain, infection, and other dental problems.
You must go for a surgical procedure called Wisdom tooth Extraction in such a critical condition. Wisdom tooth extraction pain is quite severe, so you should be mentally prepared for this treatment. The procedure removes the wisdom teeth to cure your dental health and prevent potential future problems.
Here in this blog, we share some before and after Wisdom teeth extraction parameters that each patient should consider.
Precautions Before Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Every patient going for wisdom teeth extraction should prepare for a perfect surgery. Follow the below-mentioned guidelines to prepare yourself –
- Just before the surgery at midnight, you should avoid eating and drinking. Doing this is very important for safety purposes. Under some local anaesthetic procedures, a patient can have little means or fluids before surgery.
- Dentists may face big challenges with the patient accustomed to drugs and alcohol. Such patients are advised to avoid drugs and alcohol or a successful surgery.
- For wisdom teeth extraction, patients should not smoke for 12 hours before surgery.
- Make sure your room is all set for the recovery process.
- While going for the surgery, do not wear glasses or contact lenses. Wear comfortable clothes like t-shirts and sweatpants.
- Patients are advised to bring their parents or friends with them while going for the surgery as once the surgery is done, you wouldn’t be able to drive.
Precautions After Wisdom Tooth Extraction
Every surgery requires time to recover overall health. Patients are advised to follow these guidelines to make the wisdom tooth extraction procedure successful –
- Patient should take rest for the next couple of days.
- To reduce the chances of swelling, you should elevate your head. Icing can also minimise your wisdom tooth extraction pain and lessen your swelling.
- To stop the bleeding in the mouth, create some pressure on cotton gauze with bite.
- Only intake liquid and soft foods like mashed potatoes, soups, milkshakes, etc.
- Do some jaw exercises by opening and closing your mouth very slowly. But do not start exercising immediately after surgery.
- Make sure to take medicines as prescribed by the dentist. Don’t skip any dose if you want a speedy recovery.
- Patients can start brushing their teeth the next day after surgery. But it is strictly advised not to brush hard and avoid the wisdom teeth extraction area.
- To maintain the blood clot over the extraction region, avoid consuming alcohol and smoking.
- Do not go for immediate drinking after surgery.
- After wisdom teeth extraction, patients should not eat solid foods for at least one week. Foods that need to be avoided are potato chips, popcorn, nuts, or other crunchy food.
- Patients can use hot water instead of ice packs after the first two days of tooth extraction.
- Drink lots of water after surgery. Do not drink coffee or tea in the first 24 hours of surgery.
- If you experience any of the following symptoms after wisdom teeth extraction, consult the dentist as soon as possible to avoid any serious complications –
- Swelling
- Breathing or swallowing issues.
- Blood or pus in nasal discharge.
- Fever.
- Limited mouth opening.
- Dry Socket.
- Lip Numbness.
- Your dentist will recommend the solutions for the complications. Take advice to reduce the risks and ensure proper healing.
Conclusion
So, these are some of the important points that you have to keep in mind if you are going for wisdom tooth extraction treatment. You should never ignore the pain or discomfort caused by the wisdom tooth. You should immediately consult the dentist and get it removed.