Wisdom Tooth Removal Aftercare
August 25, 2022 6:55 pm
Once your mouth is fully developed, there are 32 teeth aligned along the gum line. But it’s not until your late teens through your early 20s that the final two top and bottom molars, also known as wisdom teeth, come in.
Most of the time, patients undergo wisdom tooth removal to avoid serious complications these teeth may cause. If you fall under needing wisdom tooth removal, here are tips for successful aftercare!
Maintain Clean Oral Hygiene
Wisdom tooth removal will likely be accompanied by bruising and swelling, which may make it difficult to brush or floss. However, maintaining clean gums and teeth after extraction helps prevent bacterial infection and encourages healing.
After the first 24 hours, it’s generally safe to resume your oral hygiene routine. But instead of brushing or flossing directly at the extraction site, we recommend gently rinsing with an oral rinse or warm salt water and skipping over brushing the extraction until healed.
Prevent Dry Socket
Waiting 24 hours to brush or rinse is just another effort to prevent dry socket possibility. A dry socket is caused when a blood clot doesn’t form or is dislodged after tooth removal.
Without the blood clot, bone and nerves are exposed and may result in dry socket pain. To best prevent this, avoid using a straw, avoid spitting, avoid smoking, and avoid direct contact with the extraction site until healed.
Follow-Up Visit
Even if you feel your mouth is on the right track to healing, a follow-up visit with our team is highly recommended five to seven days after the extraction.
This appointment allows our team the chance to check the socket and ensure proper healing. We may also look to confirm no misalignment issues as a result of the removal.
Oral Surgery in San Antonio, Texas
Wisdom teeth removal is only one of the many oral surgeries our dental team in San Antonio can perform! If you feel your wisdom teeth growing in or are considering a permanent restoration treatment like dental implants, give our office a call to learn more about our oral surgery and sedation options!
Categorised in: Oral Health, Oral Surgery, Wisdom Teeth
This post was written by ChandlerDentalCenter
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