The removal of your wisdom teeth is a serious surgical operation. The precautionary care you take prior to your surgery will help enhance your results, but the steps you take after the surgical procedure can help lessen your overall pain. At Oral and Facial Surgeons of Arizona, we know that post-operative care is essential for proper healing. We want to help you minimize or omit unnecessary pain and complications, such as swelling or infection, by giving you post-surgical instructions to follow very carefully. After one week, you should be feeling great improvement. Read through our guide to ensure you’re following the steps necessary to achieve optimal results.
Post-Surgical Care
When you immediately awake from your surgical procedure, you should feel numbness surrounding your lips and teeth; this is the effect of the anesthesia (typically Novocain). This feeling of numbness will last about 2–6 hours, depending on when you awake. You will likely also feel a moist piece of fabric gauze in your mouth, to cover the extraction sites. Over the next few days, it is imperative that you:
• Apply ice packs to your face to help minimize swelling.
• Stay fully hydrated to quicken the healing process and don’t consume alcoholic beverages.
• Use gauze pads to control minor bleeding of the extraction sites.
• Only consume soft foods, such as soups, yogurt, pudding, and popsicles, among others.
• Restrict physical activities.
One Week After Surgery
If you allow your body ample time to rest and rejuvenate following your wisdom teeth extraction, you should be feeling much better one week after your surgery. Of course, some complications can arise even if you have vigorously followed our advice. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms one week after your procedure, please contact our office.
• Numbness
Numbness in the chin and lower lip is fairly common with lower wisdom teeth extraction. However, numbness should be gone by one week after your surgery.
• Swelling and Fever
A fever and swelling one week after your operation may be a sign of infection.
• Dry Socket
Dry socket is when a blood clot in the extraction site has become dislodged or dissolved, resulting in pain. It can be treated and is often quickly resolved in the comfort of our office.
Contact Oral and Facial Surgeons of Arizona Today
If you have any questions regarding wisdom tooth extraction surgery, please don’t hesitate to call Oral and Facial Surgeons of Arizona. Our professional team is composed of doctors and staff members who are happy to answer any questions you have.