After Wisdom Teeth Removal
Having your wisdom teeth removed is a serious oral procedure. Post-operative care is crucial to the recovery and longevity of your oral health. To avoid complications such as pain, swelling, and infection, it’s imperative that you follow any aftercare instructions that Dr. Chaudhry gives you. For your convenience, we’ve created a patient-friendly guide on how to properly care for your mouth after the removal of your wisdom teeth found below.
The Day of Your Wisdom Teeth Surgery
For a successful wisdom teeth removal and recovery, please follow these guidelines:
- If you’re receiving general anesthesia or undergoing dental sedation, refrain from eating and drinking any liquids for six hours prior to your surgery. Also, make sure you have someone you trust with you to drive you home.
- Once your surgery has been completed, we’ll cover the surgical site with gauze. Keep the pad in place and bite down for at least 30 minutes. If you continue to bleed after removing the gauze, repeat this process with a new pad.
- Avoid touching your surgical area, rinsing your mouth, or anything that involves suction such as drinking through a straw to prevent excessive bleeding.
- The amount of swelling will depend on the patient, so little to a lot is normal.
- Make sure to rest and avoid physical activity after your surgery. You can resume normal exercise when you feel up to it.
- Always take your medication as prescribed to counteract any pain from your procedure. Don’t drink alcohol or drive while on your medication.
Additional Aftercare Tips
Bleeding
A certain amount of bleeding after surgery is to be expected. Patients can expect slight bleeding, oozing, or redness in the saliva. If your surgical site is excessively bleeding, it can be controlled by rinsing or wiping away any clots from your mouth, then placing a gauze pad over the area and firmly biting for 30 minutes.
If bleeding continues, try biting on a moistened tea bag for 30 minutes. The tannic acid in the tea bag helps to form a clot by contracting the blood vessels. To minimize further bleeding, don’t sit upright and avoid strenuous activity. Please contact our office if bleeding doesn’t subside.
Swelling
Swelling around the mouth, cheeks, eyes, and sides of the face after wisdom teeth extraction is normal. Oftentimes, you won’t experience swelling until the day after surgery and won’t reach its maximum amount until two to three days post-op.
To reduce swelling, place ice packs on the sides of the face where your surgery was performed. The ice packs should be used continuously while you’re awake. After the first 24 to 36 hours after surgery, you should switch to heat as ice won’t have an effect on swelling any longer.
Pain
For any pain you experience, take medication as prescribed. Your prescribed pain medication might make you feel groggy and will slow down your reflexes. Don’t drive or work around machinery and avoid drinking alcohol while taking your pain medication.
Pain or discomfort following your surgery is usually at its worst 24 to 48 hours after surgery. After that, it should subside more and more every day. If your pain persists or worsens, it may require attention and you should contact our office right away.
Diet & Nausea
Some patients may experience nausea and vomiting after surgery. If this happens, avoid eating, drinking, or taking medication for at least one hour. Start by slowly sipping water or tea and progress to eating soft, solid foods and taking your medications once nausea subsides.
After your surgery, stick to a soft food diet for the first few days. Stay away from chewy foods and don’t drink through a straw to prevent disturbing the blood clot that protects your surgical site. Since you’ll be low on energy, try to consume meals higher in calories and proteins. Also, make sure to drink 5 to 6 glasses of water each day.
Oral Hygiene
You can brush your teeth the night of your surgery, but rinse gently and be mindful of the surgical site. Use warm salt water to rinse your mouth 5 to 6 times a day starting the day after your surgery.
Our Team Is Here for You
It’s important to us that you’re provided with clear instructions and get all your questions answered. Please give us a call right away if you have any additional questions regarding your wisdom teeth extraction aftercare. Our team is always happy to help and will make sure your questions are answered.
To contact our helpful team, call our Stroudsburg office at (484)-821-1357 or our Bethlehem office at (484)-821-1357, and we’ll be happy to assist you. You can also get in touch through our online contact form.
EXCELLENT
289 reviews on
Gabriel Perez
November 12, 2021.
if i could give 10 stars i would . this place eased the pain i carried over 2-3 years at first i was skeptical because my past experiences, however they treated me good with respect.they really took care of me never have i seen a place so courteous. i think everyone in pain should go to this place it was the best for me . i had 7 extractions and they tookme in and i was seen in less than 2 weeks and the teeth were removed in about 20 minutes. they worked at god speed lol. great place. Thank you so much for taking care of me .
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Nicole Perez
November 12, 2021.
This place is amazing. The staff are wonderful and very polite. My husband was in pain for years. We went to 2 different oral surgeons and for months they wasted our time. When I called Lehigh valley oral surgery, they listened and made appointments very fast. They even do (out of Network) referrals for insurance. Please if you are in pain and need to be seen this is the place for you. Thank you guys so much for everything you did for my husband.
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Lauren O'Brian
November 11, 2021.
Very grateful that I was able to have my dental implant done with Dr. Chaudhry. He and his staff were professional and kind. They were sensitive to my concerns, and answered all of my questions thoroughly. Nicole, the implant coordinator, was especially supportive throughout the process. Thank you for making this experience as pleasant as possible.
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Mateopuzzler
October 13, 2021.
Had an issue with my insurance didn't realize they type that I had so the information didn't go through, still saw me they day of my extraction and helped me square away my insurance. They are super friendly nice, and seem to be on top of their game. This place is highly recommended for a reason, this is the place to go.
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Dori
October 12, 2021.
My son had 4 wisdom teeth removed. Initially the appointment was for March of 2020. Then the pandemic hit. They refunded my partial payment quickly. Fast forward to September of 2021. Rescheduling was no problem. From the front desk to the doctor and assistants, the staff was friendly and professional. They took new x-rays and found that the procedure was going to be less money! Everything went well. His recovery has been good. He still has some tenderness 3 weeks out. The only complaint I would mention is that we never received a call to check on his recovery. That would have been very nice.
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Tami Giglio
September 30, 2021.
This place is great if you need oral surgery. Everyone is so nice and professional. And the facility is very clean. I highly recommend!!
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Kristen VanFleet
September 24, 2021.
Had to have an emergency extraction. I was in so much pain and they were able to see me the very next day. The office staff starting with the receptionist was very pleasant courteous and professional. The hygienist was very kind and made sure I was comfortable. Dr Kim was excellent. I was given IV sedation and I’m not sure how I will be able to go back to having dental work without it because it made everything much better. They even sent me home with an ice pack which may seem like a small detail but it was a big help once anesthesia wore off. Choose this practice. You won’t regret it.
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April S
September 11, 2021.
I went here a few days ago to get a molar pulled that was chipped and infected. I was completely terrified, so Dr. Farag brought someone in to hold my hand during the numbing shots, and her assistant offered to hold my other hand. She applied plenty of numbing gel, and only two out of all of the injections were painful because she had to inject the gum near the tooth of course, whereas the other shots were just more uncomfortable than anything. The nurses and assistants that held my hand were very sweet, encouraging, and made me chuckle a few times. Dr. Farag talked me through the whole procedure and gave me a break when I needed one. I'll be honest and say it wasn't completely painless, but I don't blame Dr. Farag whatsoever. She tried her best to numb me up, but the tooth was infected and probably couldn't be numbed entirely. Regardless, any pain I felt was probably on a scale of about 3-4, and only happened at certain times during the procedure; it wasn't constant. The pain from the infection felt way worse than anything I felt that day in that chair.
It was over pretty quickly. Her assistant stayed with me afterwards and talked with me until I was calm, since I found myself in a fit of tears after the tooth was pulled. I wasn't in pain afterwards, just really relieved, I think. Dr. Farag seemed to feel genuinely bad at how upset I was, and suggested that I be sedated next time or given anti-anxiety medication if and when I come back to get anything done. She's right, as I would say my own fear was probably the worst part of the experience.
I'm 3 days post-extraction and I feel fine. The bleeding stopped within a few hours when I got home, and the wound seems to be healing well. There is some soreness, a very minimal amount of swelling, and occasional twinges of pain in the area, but that's it.
I would recommended coming here if you need work done. Everyone here is very kind, caring and compassionate. They also honored the fact that I had panoramic x-rays prior, whereas some places will charge you for an x-ray even if you've already had one done.
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