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.
Kelly Beil
01:22 19 May 20
Amazing dental office! I have been going there for the past year and the staff is wonderful and Dr. Chaudhry is amazing! 5 stars for sure!read more
Steven Klaver
23:37 20 Mar 20
Had a lower rt wisdom tooth extracted by Dr. Chaudhry. I was reluctant to have it done since I put it off so many years and xrays showed the roots were so close to my facial nerve, but after Dr. Chaudhry worked his magic, there was no trauma to the nerve, and all went well. I highly recommend him !read more
Eli Montero
20:36 11 Mar 20
I was referred by another doctor for my son who is 10 and he couldn’t go to a pediatrician dentist as my original dentist office suggested my original dentist was away and I saw his partner who was busy dealing with many clients and I didn’t feel he really was giving me 100%. They told me my son would have to see a pediatrician dentist and tried a few doctor's and was told I can not see a pediatrician dentist I need a normal dentist and clearly wasn’t getting help from original dentist because they where busy and figured to come here and was told the night before it should be one price and was told they would sedate him and the same thing the next morning and took my payment they then medicated my son and then told me it wasn’t covered by insurance and they should have told me before hand which I thought should have been told to me. I let them know that I will pay and they could have been straight about pricing which I was upset about as well as everything in general.I paid it and would have paid it if they told me first off. I also was told that my son is an emergency visit and felt the tone it was said to me that he was also inconvenient to themread more
Dorothy Glynn-Serrian
01:42 28 Feb 20
I highly recommend Dr.Chaudhry and his team. I have had several extractions by Dr.Chaudhry in both his Bethlehem office and his Stroudsburg office. I found both offices to be clean and his equipment to be modern. I also found the staff in both offices to be very kind and caring, helping to put me at ease. Very professional indeed. I came to Dr.Chaudhry on the recommendation of my primary dentist. My first treatment was to be extensive. Several extractions and extensive areas of badly infected bone had to be cleaned out and the infection treated. Dr.Chaudhry took his time to show me the problem areas, explain what he would do, and we talked about how I could replace the missing teeth once everything was healed. It was a good appointment for me as Dr.Chaudhry had not been my first oral surgery consultant for this work. I am so very grateful my primary dentist referred me to Dr.Chaudhry. Once the work was done, I felt fine. If I didn’t have stitches in my mouth, I would not believe anything was done. I really didn’t have any discomfort with that work. As a former registered nurse, I knew this was the mark of a good surgeon. I was so happy with the work I made sure to show my primary dentist when I saw him a few days later! He agreed with me. Dr. Chaudhry also did some other work on my mouth, and again, his time, kindness and caring attitude were much appreciated. This is the same tone you will find reflected in his staff. It is easy to see that Dr.Chaudhry is dedicated to what he does, is extremely knowledgeable and does what is best for the patient. I just can’t say enough about the man. Besides being an oral surgeon with stellar credentials, Dr.Chaudhry is also a medical doctor. We are so lucky to have an oral surgeon of his caliber and experience here in the Lehigh Valley and Pocono area. My husband will need some work in the very near future, we already know who his oral surgeon will be, Dr. Chaudhry!read more
Jenna Lamas
23:45 24 Feb 20
My 5 year old daughter came in the office terrified of having her tooth pulled. The staff immediately made her feel comfortable and put a smile on her face. Everyone made what could have been a traumatic experience for her, very tolerable for her 5 year old little mind...and mom’s, too! I truly appreciated their kindness and understanding.read more
Chris Teran
00:16 05 Feb 20
It was a great experience. Got all four of my wisdom teeth out. No problems. A great group of ladies did a fantastic job. Barely any bleeding/ pain afterwards. Smooth operation. Thank you! 😁read more
Tom Yockey
14:58 22 Jan 20
A few weeks ago I had the tissue grafting done and opted to have novocain. After the novocain wore off I expected a lot of pain but I was surprised I had absolutely no pain. Thank you Dr. Chaudhry and your staff.read more
wrbt u
16:14 18 Dec 19
Due to phobias, I hadn't been to a Dentist for 18 years. My gum/tooth infections started coming every month & finally, after 1 Urgent Care visit per month for 3 consecutive months, I decided it was time to do something about it. I went to Dr. Chaudhry & found him & his entire staff to be genuinely nice people, good listeners, & willing to take the time to understand my "issues". I wanted IV sedation, which allowed me to complete the 10 extractions with no pain or awareness during the procedure, & only very minor discomfort afterwards. He did a great job & I'm happy that I chose him as my Oral Surgeon, & I'll be going back to discuss dentures/implants.read more
Patricia Park
19:02 01 Nov 19
Dr Chaudhry provides excellent and expert care. He was recommended to me because I needed to get implants. His staff was also very personable. Highly recommend.read more
Eileen Boligitz
13:31 01 Nov 19
Outstanding! I’m pleased with the excellent care and expertise. Dr. Chaudhry and staff are the best of the best! Besides the professionalism and medical knowledge, all are welcoming, cheerful, informative, and truly concerned for the well being of the patient. I wouldn’t hesitate using their services again, if I ever need another dental implant.read more
Merline Senat
22:18 05 Jun 19
I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted here and the overall experience was great! The procedure was fast and my surgeon, Robert, made me feel comfortable and answered any and all questions I had. They also followed up by calling me twice after surgery (day after and a week later) to check on how I was dealing with the recovery process and if there were any issues. Would highly recommend to anyone!read more
Jen Feeney
16:16 23 Jan 19
I get nervous at the dentist. However I didn't get nervous at all while I was there. I was in and out within 45 minutes. Very courteous staff they even called me later that day to see how I was feeling and 2 days later to see how I was feeling. All-around great experience.read more
BRAD Orey
19:24 08 Jan 19
My visit was a great experience (for having 3 teeth extracted) from start to finish. Very professional and the follow up calls were appreciated to make sure I was OK after the procedure. Everyone there was very nice.read more
Jaime Eisert
16:31 27 Dec 18
I had an appointment (which was very easy to schedule) to have a tooth pulled. Upon arrival to my appointment, I waited about 10-15 minutes in the waiting area. Once called back, everything was quick and painless. Everyone was friendly. That evening I received a follow up call from the doctor to see how I was feeling. About a week later, I received another follow up call. I would definitely recommend this location.read more
Abigail Venezia
12:58 05 Dec 18
I was seen by Dr. Chaudhry for my wisdom teeth extraction and I would highly recommend this office to anyone needing the same procedure. From the initial consult, to the actual extraction, the experience was unmatched by any other office I’ve been to. The oral surgeon and the support staff were all sincerely friendly and very knowledgeable. You can tell they all put in the time and effort to make their patients a priority and the overall experience a positive one. 10/10 would recommend.read more
Marissa DeBenedictis
20:42 04 Dec 18
This office came highly recommended by my dentist to get a wisdom tooth removed. My experience was great, from start to finish. Easy check-in, clearly explained my out of pocket costs, and I received my sedation thoroughly and painlessly. They made the process so quick that I didn’t even have the chance to develop fear of what was to come. Staff/nursing/doctor are incredibly kind and personable. I would highly recommend!read more
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