5 Things To Avoid After Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Posted on: 1 August 2017

People have their wisdom teeth extracted for a number of reasons, including impaction, lack of room in the mouth, or infection. Since wisdom tooth extraction is a surgical procedure, there is a recovery time which may include some discomfort and pain ass the gums and jaw heal after extraction. If you will be having your wisdom teeth extracted in the near future, avoid the following things after surgery:

Smoking

Smoking can cause major problems after wisdom teeth extraction. The pulling and sucking action of smoking can dislodge the blood clots in the surgical sites, which can lead to a very painful condition called dry sockets. Nicotine in cigarettes can also decrease blood flow, meaning that the jaw and gum tissues will not get the volume of blood that they need to heal swiftly.

Drinking from Straws

Using a straw involves the same action as smoking, thus drinking from a straw can also cause dry sockets. In addition to the pain, dry sockets can also make the recovery time from wisdom tooth extraction much longer. Following surgery, it is in your best interest to avoid drinking from all straws until your mouth is completely healed. 

Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks and recovery from wisdom tooth extraction are not a good combination. Drinking alcohol can put a lot of stress on the body, which can drastically slow down the healing process. In addition, if you are already experiencing some discomfort from your tooth extraction, the last thing you want is to compound your discomfort with symptoms of a hangover. Also, many dentists prescribe some pain medication to use to control pain for the first several days after surgery, and these types of medication should never be mixed with alcohol.

Crunchy Foods

Until your gums are completely healed and the surgical sites have recovered, it is best to avoid eating crunchy foods. When you eat crunchy foods that break up into small pieces after being chewed, little bits of food debris can get trapped in the incision sites at the back of your gums. If the food debris is not promptly removed, the gums can heal over it and a bad infection can occur. Your best bet is to stick to a diet of soft foods until your dentist tells you otherwise.

Exercise

Even if you love working out or training for a sport, you should plan to take several days off after a wisdom tooth extraction. While your mouth, gums, and jaw are healing, it is best to avoid vigorous activity that could potentially jar your head and cause problems with your stitches or incision sites. 

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