Wisdom teeth how long gauze

Here are some helpful tips to keep your recovery as quickly and as comfortable as you can. So on the day of your surgery, plan to have a friend give you a ride.

If someone else can handle the driving, the prescription, and the many little chores involved, you can focus on your recovery and your comfort. When the surgery is over, the first thing you might notice is the bleeding. Since the surgeon has to make an opening in the gums for a wisdom tooth extraction, you can expect a fair amount of blood.

Luckily your surgeon will give you plenty of gauze to staunch the bleeding. The more you disturb the mouth by swapping out the gauze, the longer it will take to stop the bleeding. The gauze should press against the spots that are bleeding, not just floating nearby to soak up excess blood.

Some people have better luck switching to a damp teabag after using gauze to stop most of the bleeding. The tea leaves can encourage clotting and reduce the discomfort in the back of the mouth. A wisdom tooth extraction is still a surgery, so physical discomfort after the procedure is normal.

But you can take steps to lessen the discomfort. First, you may want to take ibuprofen even before the surgery starts. If you wait until you feel like you need it, the discomfort will last longer. Plenty of bed rest is still the best course for recovery.

After a day, some people will start to feel well enough to resume their daily functions. But others will need longer before going back to their normal routine. When the wisdom tooth is removed, the hole where the tooth used to be is called a socket. Typically, a blood clot will form in the socket to protect the sensitive nerves below and encourage healing. But if the clot is dislodged for any reason, a dry socket forms.

It is our desire that your recovery be as smooth and pleasant as possible. Following these instructions will assist you, but please contact our office if you have questions about your progress. Dry socket is the premature breakdown of the blood clot. This typically occurs between the third and fifth day after surgery. It is more common in females. It is more common in patients that smoke or have medical conditions that affect healing.

If you overexert yourself physically then you are more likely to get a dry socket. Symptoms that may indicate you have a dry socket are increased pain and a bad taste in your mouth. Typically, the pain radiates to your ear. If you have these symptoms, please call our office and we can schedule a time to see you.

We encourage you to drink lots of liquids and maintain a soft diet. Avoid hot liquids as this may prematurely dissolve the blood clot. Do not drink alcohol as this can have compounding effects with pain medicine and may alter the effects of other prescribed medications. We recommend foods that are soft, thick, and creamy for the first 5 to 7 days. Avoid popcorn and all seedy type food e. Avoid spitting, using straws for liquids, and smoking for at least one week following the surgery.

To use: stand in front of a mirror and pull back your cheek to see the surgery site. With warm water in the syringe, place the tip near the surgery site and rinse.

This should be done after meals and at bedtime as long as debris accumulates in the area. Prescriptions should be taken as directed. They are prescribed to provide pain control.

As healing occurs the pain will decrease. As the pain decreases you may decrease the frequency of taking the pain medication. As soon as possible, brush your teeth gently. Brush on the tops of teeth only as you near the surgical sites with your toothbrush. Continue to brush your teeth and keep your mouth as clean as possible. A prescription-strength mouth rinse has been prescribed. Start the mouth rinse 48 hours after surgery. No activity that increases your heart rate should be performed for the first 5 days following surgery.

The incidence of "dry socket" increases when physical activity is performed that raises your heart rate. Your stitches have been placed to control bleeding and encourage healing. These dissolve on their own in 10 to 14 days. Swelling to some extent follows nearly every tooth extraction. This is nature's way of beginning the healing process. The swelling is often quite severe after the removal of impacted wisdom teeth.

An ice pack applied intermittently for up to 48 hours may help to reduce the swelling. The swelling will usually reach a maximum in 36 to 48 hours. Note: Please do not blow your nose for one week after having upper wisdom teeth removed, as this can lead to healing complications.

General Instructions After extraction of teeth, a blood clot forms in the remaining socket. For the first 48 hours after extraction: DO NOT vigorously rinse your mouth as this may rinse away the blood clot. DO NOT use drinking straws. DO NOT smoke. DO NOT disturb the extraction site with tongue or fingers. Bleeding After tooth removal, it is normal to ooze blood from the tooth socket for approximately 24 hours.

To minimize bleeding, do the following: Bite on damp gauze for 1 hour after extraction. Repeat with fresh gauze every 20 minutes as needed. DO NOT lie flat. Elevate your head with a pillow.

Limit activity for the first days. Swelling It is normal to swell after tooth removal. Immediately after surgery, place ice packs over the area. Leave the pack on for 20 minutes and then off for 20 minutes for the rest of the day. After the first 24 hours, it is not necessary to continue cold packs. Postoperative discomfort After removal of teeth, it is normal to experience some amount of discomfort when the anesthesia wears off.

DO NOT operate a motor vehicle or machinery while taking pain medication. It can make you drowsy.