After Extraction of Wisdom Teeth
The removal of impacted wisdom teeth is a surgical procedure. Post-operative care is very important. Unnecessary pain and complications such as infection and swelling can be minimized if these instructions are followed carefully. In most cases, removal of impacted wisdom teeth is performed under IV Sedation. You will rest under our supervision in the office until you are ready to be taken home.
Upon discharge your postoperative kit which include postoperative instructions will be given to you, a prescription for pain medication and antibiotics will be send electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.
Take the prescribed pain medications as soon as possible. Try to take your pain medications BEFORE the local anesthetic has diminished.
Immediately Following Surgery:
Take the prescribed pain medications as soon as possible. Try to take your pain medications before your begin to feel discomfort.
Fold clean gauze thick enough to apply pressure to the surgical site when biting for at least 30-45 minutes. Replace gauze every 30-45 minutes if bleeding persists. Repeat the steps if necessary.
Avoid spitting, vigorous mouth rinsing or touching the wound area following surgery. This may initiate bleeding by causing the blood clot that has formed to become dislodged.
Restrict/minimizes your activities on the day of surgery and resume normal activity when you feel comfortable.
A good oral hygiene and diet(nutrition) are essential to a good healing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at Tuscarawas Oral Surgery And Implant Center Phone Number 330-364-8665.
Our services are provided in an environment of optimum safety. We utilize modern monitoring equipment and our staff are experienced.
What will I feel like after wisdom teeth removal surgery?
After wisdom teeth removal surgery
1) It is normal to have some bleeding for 24 hours after your procedures. Excessive bleeding can be controlled by biting firmly against the gauze for 30-45 minutes so pressure is continuously applied to the surgery site. Replace gauze every 30-45 minutes if bleeding persists. Repeat the steps if necessary.
2) You should begin taking your prescribed pain medication as soon possible and before you feel the local anesthetic wearing off. If you have been placed on antibiotics, take the tablets or liquid as directed. Antibiotics will be given to help prevent infection. Discontinue antibiotic use in the event of a rash, upset bowels or any other unfavorable reaction and contact our office immediately.
3) Swelling is a normal occurrence after surgery. This is the body’s normal reaction to surgery and eventually repair. It is expected for swelling to persist for approximately one week after surgery. Swelling should increase or be stable for the first 1-3 days after surgery. However, swelling should show gradual improvement after day 4.
4) Immediately after general anesthetic or IV sedation only liquids should be consumed. Drink from a glass and do not use straws. The sucking motion can cause more bleeding by dislodging the blood clot. You may eat anything soft by chewing away from the surgical sites. A high calorie, high protein intake is very important. Nourishment should be taken regularly. You should prevent dehydration by taking fluids regularly. Try not to miss any meals. You will feel better, have more strength and heal faster if you continue to eat normally.
5) It is extremely important to maintain a good oral hygiene. Rinse your mouth several times a day with a prescribed mouth rinse/ salt water/ plain water especially after meals and before bed. Brush and floss normally. Be gentle around surgical sites but keep the areas clean. Be sure to rinse for at least 30 seconds then gently spit it out. A clean wound heals better and faster.
6) In the event of nausea and/or vomiting following surgery, do not take anything by mouth for at least an hour, including the prescribed medicine. You should then sip on coke, tea, or ginger ale. You should sip slowly over a fifteen-minute period. When the nausea subsides you can begin taking solid foods and the prescribed medicine. You may eat what is tolerable for you. You will feel better and have more strength if you start eating normally.
7) In some cases, you will notice that your jaw muscles are stiff, (Trismus) of the jaw muscles may cause difficulty in opening your mouth for a few days following surgery. This is a normal post-operative event which will resolve in time. Gradually resume back to a normal diet is highly encouraged. Quickly resuming to a more normal diet will promote better blood circulation to the post-surgical area and will promote healing
8) Occasionally, discoloration of the skin follows swelling. The development of black, blue, green, or yellow discoloration is due to blood spreading beneath the tissues. This is a normal post-operative occurrence, which may occur 2-3 days post-operatively. Moist heat applied to the area may speed up the removal of the
discoloration.
9) Sutures may be placed during your surgery IF they promote healing. The sutures placed in our office are resorbable (they will naturally be removed) and do not require removal in our office. Sometimes sutures
become dislodged. This is no cause for alarm. Just remove the suture from your mouth and discard it.
10) In some cases, if numbness of the lip, chin, or tongue occurs there is no cause for alarm. As reviewed in your consultation, this is usually temporary in nature. You should be aware that if your lip or tongue is numb, you could bite it and not feel the sensation. Call our office if you have any questions.
11) In some cases, slight elevation of temperature immediately following surgery is common. If the temperature persists, notify the office.
11) You should be careful going from the lying down position to standing. You could get light headed from low blood sugar or medications. Before standing up, you should sit for one minute before getting up.
12) Occasionally, patients may feel hard projections in the mouth with their tongue. They are not roots; they are the bony walls which supported the tooth. These projections usually smooth out spontaneously. If not, they can be removed by Dr. Taylor
13) If the corners of your mouth are stretched, they may dry out and crack. Your lips should be kept moist with an ointment such as Vaseline.
14) Occasionally, sore throats and pain when swallowing are common. The muscles get swollen. The normal act of swallowing can then become painful. This will subside in 2-3 days. You will feel better more and more every day.
Are there any other problems after the extraction of wisdom teeth?
As with any medical procedure, there can be complications or an unanticipated result. Some complications that patients undergoing wisdom tooth extraction may experience include:
- damage to the sensory nerve that supplies sensation to the lips and tongue
- sinus communication
- infections
- dry sockets
After the procedure, our assistants will review your post-operative instructions with your escort. We ask that you follow these instructions closely, as they will make you most comfortable following your procedure. If you were sedated, you will be comfortable and drowsy when you leave the office. Most patients prefer to go home and rest with no other physical or scholastic activities planned for a few days. With any medical procedure, there can be unexpected results. These can include delayed healing, infection and post-operative numbness or tingling in your lip, chin, or tongue. Dr. Taylor will review relevant post-operative events with you and answer any questions during your office visit.
Damage to Sensory Nerve:
A primary concern is a nerve within the lower jaw bone that supplies feeling to the lower lip, chin, and tongue. This nerve is frequently very close to the roots of the lower wisdom teeth. Having these teeth out between the ages of 12 and 18 usually provides shorter roots so that the nerve is not so close to the roots of these teeth. Occasionally, when the teeth are removed, and especially in older patients, the nerve can become injured. When local anesthesia wears off, you may experience a tingling or numbing sensation in the lower lip, chin, or tongue. Should this occur, it is usually temporary and will resolve gradually over a period of weeks or months. On rare occasions it can result in a permanent alteration of sensation similar to having local anesthesia. We feel that you should be aware of this possibility before consenting to surgery.
Sinus Communication:
The upper wisdom teeth are situated close to your sinuses, and their removal can result in an opening between your mouth and the sinus. Once again, if the teeth are removed at an early age, the root formation is minimal, and this complication is very unlikely. However, if it does occur, it will usually close spontaneously, but we may give you special instructions to follow, such as avoid blowing your nose for two or three days following the surgery. You can wipe your nose, but don’t blow your nose. If you have to sneeze, you should sneeze with an open mouth into a tissue. Pressure should not be created in the sinus area, which may dislodge the healing blood clot. If you sense this condition occurring after the surgery, please contact the office. An additional procedure may RARELY be necessary to close the opening.
Dry Sockets:
Dry sockets continue to be the most common problem people experience following dental surgery. They arise due to premature loss of a blood clot in the empty tooth socket. This seems to occur with greater frequency in people who smoke or are taking birth control pills. While both jaws can be affected, they usually occur in the lower jaw on the third to fifth day. They cause a deep, dull, continuous aching on the affected side(s). Patients may first notice the pain starting in the ear radiating down towards the chin.
The symptoms frequently begin in the middle of the night, and your pain medication regimen may not help. Treatment can involve changing your prescription. Occasionally it is helpful to place a medicated dressing in the empty tooth socket. This will help decrease the pain and protect the socket from food particles. The effectiveness in alleviating the pain lasts for 24-48 hours and may require dressing changes every day or two, for five to seven days. Dressings usually are removed when you have been pain free for 2 to 3 days.
The dressing doesn’t aid in healing. The only reason to place a dressing is for pain control. If medication is controlling the pain, the socket will heal without a dressing. Following removal of the dressing, an irrigation device may be provided to help you to keep food particles from lodging in the extraction site.
Infection:
Occasionally, post-operative infections occur. This usually requires an office visit and clinical examination. Many times, just placing you on an antibiotic for one week will take care of the infection. If it persists, the area will have to be drained and cleaned. Other temporary problems you may experience in the post-operative period include stiffness of the jaws, chafing around the corners of your lips, facial bruising, and blood oozing from the extraction sites. The post-operative instruction sheet we will provide should answer many of the questions related to these more common concerns. If not, don’t hesitate to call the office at Tuscarawas Oral Surgery And Implant Center Phone Number 330-364-8665.
