Wisdom Tooth Recovery Requires Basic Daily Care

The wisdom teeth lingering deep in the gums at the back of your mouth generally attempt to emerge in your later teenage years. Over time, these wisdom teeth can cause discomfort and potential pain. Since there is little room available in the back of your mouth to accommodate wisdom teeth, it’s possible for one or more to become trapped or impacted.

When this happens, a dental cyst could develop, causing even more pressure and discomfort or a potential infection. As time goes on, an impacted wisdom tooth could even threaten the healthy root of your rear molar.

To prevent these complications and preserve the health of your teeth, Dr. Cody Skinner can extract your wisdom teeth at Dentistry on 1st LLC. Afterward, you will need to practice some basic postoperative care measures to prevent an infection or other complications with the incision sites.

You will need to eat a soft-foods diet with items like mashed potatoes and yogurt. Staying hydrated is important so long as you avoid drinking through a straw. The suction could potentially pull blood clots loose from the incisions. Hot and cold beverages should also be avoided as this could also cause shock or pain to the incision sites.

Your gums might bleed for a few days at the incision site. This is natural and to be expected. You can help control the bleeding by biting down lightly on a little rolled-up sterile gauze. Once it has stopped, you can wash away any lingering blood with a lukewarm saltwater rinse.

Even occasional tobacco use can pose a significant threat to your healing gum tissues. The irritation from heat, nicotine, tar, and other chemicals can increase recovery time and your chances of suffering a dangerous infection.

If you are a tobacco user, this might be a good opportunity to also try a cessation program. Just try to choose one that doesn’t involve lozenges or nicotine gum. These can also irritate the gums.

If you have recently had a tooth extracted in Tucson, Arizona, and you have some post-extraction care concerns, you can always call 520-292-0606 to speak to a member of our staff.