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What You Need To Know Before You Have Your Wisdom Teeth Extracted

22 December 2016 by Ross Martin

Extracting wisdom teeth is a common oral surgery, so you shouldn't be too worried about the procedure. However, at the same time, it is still a surgical procedure, and it will take time for you to recover afterwards. Learn more about getting your wisdom teeth pulled so you know what to expect and can prepare yourself for your appointment at a clinic like Altoona Center For Oral Surgery & Maxillofacial Surgery.

Take a Friend with You

It's important to bring a friend or loved one with you when you get your wisdom teeth taken out. The person who goes to your appointment with you isn't there for moral support. Most likely, you'll be medicated during the procedure — with normal anesthesia and a topical anesthetic that numbs the area — so you won't be able to drive yourself home. While everyone reacts differently to anesthesia, it shouldn't take more than a few hours for the medication to wear off.

Get Some Rest

Many people don't think that they'll need a lot of rest after they've had their wisdom teeth pulled. After all, pain in your mouth shouldn't affect the rest of you, right? Wrong. Resting helps speed up the healing process, so you should rest as much as you possible. Besides, chances are, your dentist will give you some kind of pain reliever to ease your pain — which means you may not be capable of keeping up with a normal schedule.

Avoid Your Toothbrush

After you have your wisdom teeth extracted, you'll probably want to brush your teeth. However, you shouldn't. The last thing you want to do is aggravate the area where your wisdom teeth were. So instead of brushing your teeth, clean your mouth out by gargling warm salt water. The warm salt water will make your mouth feel clean again and help ease any pain you may have.

Keep Your Head Elevated

It's common for people to have some swelling after they've had their wisdom teeth extracted. However, you can minimize the amount of swelling you have by keeping your head elevated slightly. Keeping your head raised draws fluid away from your head, which keeps your swelling to a minimum. You should also apply cold compresses as directed by your oral surgeon to keep your swelling down.

Overall, having your wisdom teeth extracted isn't as bad as you may think. As long as you follow the directions your oral surgeon gives you after the procedure, you shouldn't have any problems with the recovery process.

 

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