Wisdom Teeth Recovery
Wisdom Teeth Recovery
Some persons experience problems after having their wisdom teeth removed, such as paresthesia, dry socket and more commonly bleeding. Dry socket will result when a blood clot fails to form, and normally happens three to four days after the extraction. On the other hand, paresthesia is the nerves that have been damaged, as a result of the removal of impacted wisdom teeth. Paresthesia is not as common as dry socket, and the damaged nerves can result in other complications such as temporary or permanent numbness of the chin, lip or tongue.
Normally, wisdom teeth removal takes approximately three days; however, this will vary depending on the complexity of the process of wisdom teeth removal. Therefore, the recovery time will be longer for teeth that are lodged into the jawbone, than the recovery time for a simple extraction of a tooth that is fully grown. Bleeding and pain are commonly experienced during the first day of wisdom teeth removal. This may also be associated with bruises on the jaw muscles, numbness, tingling, inflammation and facial swelling.
Even though there are home remedies and medications that you can use to ease the pain, wisdom teeth recovery will vary from a couple of weeks to a few months, depending on the extent of the removal procedure. One of the most important aspects of wisdom teeth recovery is the first twenty-four hours, and recovery times will vary based on the care that is administered during this time period.
Here are a few things that you should be aware of during wisdom teeth recovery:
- You may experience constant bleeding during the first twenty-four hours after you have had the procedure. You can control this by biting into a gauze pad at regular interims. Once the pad becomes soaked with blood, you should change it. If you still are experiencing persistent bleeding after the twenty-four hours have passed, you need to consult your dentist.
- You may prolong the bleeding by lying flat on your back; therefore, you should lift up your head using pillows.
- Swelling is a common problem that is associated with wisdom teeth recovery. You can place ice packs on your cheeks to fight this problem. This should be used during the first twenty-four hours after the surgery, after which you should use a moist and heated washcloth on your cheeks for the next two days.
- Wisdom teeth recovery time can be lengthened by smoking, drinking of hot liquids and physical exertion, as these may cause the condition to be aggravated.
- You can also reduce the inflammation and pain by rinsing your mouth with warm salted water.
Categorised as: Health