Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Depending on how your wisdom teeth are positioned in your mouth, you may never need to get your wisdom teeth removed. However, if your wisdom teeth are impacted, aren’t fully erupting or are causing crowding in your teeth, your dentist may recommend getting your wisdom teeth removed. Failure to treat a wisdom tooth that needs to be removed could lead to bacterial infections.

Wisdom teeth surgery is a very safe and relatively painless procedure. Depending on the degree your wisdom teeth are impacted, either a local anesthetic or general anesthetic will be administered. Wisdom tooth extraction takes no longer than an hour and a half.

In the first 24 hours after your wisdom teeth removal, a blood clot will be forming in your tooth socket. During this time it’s important to avoid any rinsing, brushing, spitting, smoking or drinking through a straw as it could cost you to open the clot or lead to a dry socket.  Strenuous physical activity could also cause bleeding in the first day or two. After 24 hours you may brush your teeth but avoid the extraction site for another few days. As part of your aftercare, lightly rinse your mouth with warm salt water every few hours to reduce swelling, relieve pain and shorten healing time.

After getting wisdom teeth out, swelling and jaw stiffness may continue for 1-2 weeks. Ice can be used as aftercare in the first 24 hours to help reduce swelling and control pain.

The area around a wisdom tooth extraction typically closes within six weeks. In the next several months, those sockets will fill with bone. During the six weeks, it will take the site to close, it is important to keep the area clean and make sure food isn’t trapped in the socket area.

Bleeding at the extraction site is common after getting wisdom teeth removed during the first 1-2 days. To control bleeding and avoid infection, keep gauze pads over the extraction site for 1 hour after surgery. During the 1-2 days of initial healing time, check gauze every hour and replace when saturated until the bleeding stops.