What to do if the gum hurts after the removal of a wisdom tooth? How long will the wound heal after the operation? What actions can hinder or, conversely, contribute to a quick recovery? This article will answer these questions.
Difficulties in removing wisdom teeth
Eighth molars can be removed quickly and easily. Such a successful course of the surgical process occurs if the tooth has completely erupted and is not destroyed too much. In such cases, the dentist is able to firmly place the forceps on the crown and easily remove the molar.
An important role is played by the structure of the roots of the tooth: if they do not intertwine, do not diverge to the sides, do not grow together, turning into one pin-like structure, and do not have strong bends, then the figure-eight extraction operation, with a high degree of probability, will pass without any complications, as will the subsequent tissue repair.
But wisdom teeth often do not fully erupt, have a complex root system, are crooked in the jaw, and in some cases even remain completely hidden. Therefore, the operation to extract the figure eight is often lengthy and difficult. How long does a wisdom tooth heal after extraction? The overall healing time depends both on how difficult and traumatic the surgical intervention was, and on the correct behavior of the patient during the recovery period.
What can not be done after deletion?
About what to do after the removal of a wisdom tooth, we will discuss a little lower, but now let's find out what you don't need to do in any case. Here is a list of prohibited activities:
- In the first 24 hours after surgery, do not rinse your mouth. Such a procedure can lead to the washing out of a blood clot from a fresh hole, which can subsequently complicate and delay the healing process.
- Warm external compresses to the cheek are also prohibited. They can provoke inflammation and suppuration of the wound.
- Do not touch the hole with your tongue or any objects.
- You can not actively talk after the operation, open your mouth wide - such actions can cause tissue irritation and lead to divergence of the seams, if any.
- Food is allowed only after 2 hours, and it should not be hot and hard, requiring active chewing efforts.
- Bath procedures on this day should be excluded. Going to the sauna or taking a hot bath can open up bleeding.
- Activities that involve significant physical effort should be postponed for a couple of days.
What should I do immediately after wisdom tooth removal?
The following simple steps will help you avoid severe discomfort after surgery and avoid possible complications:
- The swab that the dentist will put on the hole must be removed from the mouth after 20 minutes.
- After coming home, it is recommended to apply a cold compress to the cheek. This simple procedure will protect against swelling and help stop the bleeding faster.
- Baths with antimicrobial drug "Chlorhexedine". A small amount of liquid is drawn into the mouth and remains motionless for 1-2 minutes on the side where the tooth was removed. Do not rinse!
- After the freezing effect wears off, there may be pain, sometimes very sharp. You can not wait for this and take a painkiller in advance. Well, in such cases, "Ketanov", "Tempalgin", "Baralgin", etc. help.
- In the first hours after the removal of a wisdom tooth, the body temperature of some patients rises. It can be brought back to normal by taking Paracetamol or Nimesil.
- If there is a feeling of the presence of a foreign object in the wound, then you need to see a doctor and in no case try to explore the hole yourself.
- On the day when the operation was performed to remove, you can not brush your teeth. But the next day it is already desirable to do this with a brush with very soft bristles, trying not to touch the gum at the place of removal when brushing.
- Ifduring the day, the bleeding does not stop, you can put a swab from a sterile bandage folded in several layers on the area of the hole, bite it and hold it for 10 minutes. It is permissible to take one of the hemostatic agents: Dicinon or Vikasol.
- Self-administration of antibiotics should be excluded. These funds can be prescribed by a doctor only if there are indications for this.
If the removal operation itself went without complications and after it the patient behaved correctly, carefully following all the instructions, then in a few days the blood clot in the wound will begin to be replaced by he althy tissue and the hole will tighten.
Special diet: necessary or not?
During the first days after the removal of a wisdom tooth, it is necessary to adhere to the usual reasonable approach to the choice of food during this period, there is no special diet. It is necessary to avoid hot dishes, solid foods, and it is also not recommended to get involved in s alty foods. These temporary restrictions are needed in order to avoid irritation of the mucous membrane and not to cause additional trauma to the gum after the removal of the wisdom tooth.
The following dishes are ideal for nutrition during the recovery period:
- porridge;
- cottage cheese;
- yogurts;
- mashed potatoes;
- mashed meat;
- juices;
- milk;
- meat, fish, chicken broths.
Some doctors find it helpful to eat ice cream after a tooth extraction. Their opinionbased on the fact that a cold treat will help constrict blood vessels and reduce bleeding, and at the same time reduce pain.
If the socket bleeds heavily
Normally, profuse bleeding from the hole after tooth extraction stops even while the patient is in the dental office. The doctor immediately after removal treats the wound with a special hemostatic and antiseptic preparation, and a gauze swab applied to the hole helps to compress the bleeding vessels.
In addition, with a strong rupture of tissues, sutures are applied. A plug of clotted blood quickly forms in the hole, tightly closing the wound. On the first day, blood may leak from the wound, gradually this stream becomes thinner and disappears.
But it also happens that at home the bleeding intensifies. The following reasons contribute to this:
- insufficient rate of blood clotting;
- damage to a large vessel not noticed by a dentist;
- high blood pressure.
If cold compresses and hemostatic medicine do not give a tangible effect and the next day the blood continues to flow, then you need to seek help from the dentist who performed the removal.
In cases where, after the removal of a wisdom tooth, along with bleeding, there are symptoms such as severe weakness, nausea and dizziness, this is a reason to call an ambulance.
Dry hole
The hole after the removal of a wisdom tooth may not heal for a long time if, after the operation, for any reason, the formation of a blood clot in the wound was disturbed. In such cases, an infection can quickly penetrate into the periodontal tissue and a purulent inflammatory process develops - alveolitis.
If a few days after the extraction of the tooth, the pain does not decrease, you should try to examine the place of the wound in the mirror. The appearance of an open cavity, inside which there is no blood plug, should alert. It is best to see a dentist right away.
The doctor will wash the wound with an antiseptic solution and stitch it up. You should not be afraid of this, all actions are carried out under local anesthesia.
Prolonged pain
How much does it hurt after removing a wisdom tooth? Pain can last from seven to ten days. After a complex operation, this is not unusual and is considered the norm. Every day the pain should become less and less, until it passes completely. Painkillers are usually only needed for the first few days after removal.
If the pain over time not only does not decrease, but becomes stronger, this indicates the progression of some pathological process in the jaw tissues. In this case, you must urgently see a doctor.
Paresthesia
This obscure word refers to the nerve damage that sometimes happens with complex wisdom tooth extractions. Symptoms that indicate that parasthesia has occurred: a feeling of strongnumbness of the tongue, lips, chin and impaired diction. Paralysis is not observed. The nerves most commonly affected are the mandible and tongue.
Patients over 35 are most at risk for this complication. The roots of their wisdom teeth have time to fully form and are firmly fixed in the bone tissue. Removing such a tooth can be traumatic for nerve fibers.
Nothing needs to be done for parasthesia. It usually goes away without a trace after a few days. But sometimes her symptoms can be troublesome for six months or more.
What to do if severe swelling occurs?
Severe swelling after the removal of a wisdom tooth sometimes occurs not only inside the oral cavity, but is also noticeable outside, thanks to the enlarged cheek. This is because the areas of tissues in which the last molars grow are penetrated by a large number of vessels, the integrity of which is violated during the removal operation.
Swelling is especially strong if the condition of the tooth before the operation was neglected and there was inflammation of the tissues surrounding it. But if the face is a little swollen after the removal of a wisdom tooth, this is not a cause for great concern. The swelling should subside gradually.
Usually this happens within 3 days. A cold ice pack may help a little, but you only need to apply it to your cheek on the first day. There is no point in continuing with this process. In the event that after three days the swelling begins to increase instead of decreasing, you need to contact your dentist. itsymptom of complications.
Actions in the event of a hematoma
The nascent hematoma first declares itself as a bruise on the cheek. By itself, cyanosis in the jaw area after the removal of a wisdom tooth is not something terrible and resolves on its own after a few days, leaving not the slightest trace.
But if a tumor begins to grow under the bruise, then this is already a sign of a hematoma, which cannot disappear just like that and cannot be treated with home remedies. This will require dental surgery.
The doctor will give anesthesia, cut the gum and install a drain to allow the fluid that forms inside the gum to come out. An additional treatment will be taking an antibiotic, which will be prescribed by the dentist himself.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the article, the fastest recovery after the removal of the eighth molar largely depends on the correct actions of the patient himself in the coming hours and days after the operation. Take good care of yourself and stay he althy!
