When you are told it is time to get your wisdom teeth out, you will likely have a lot of information thrown at you in a short amount of time. Until I got mine out a few months ago, I had no idea about half the stuff that is a part of the entire process.
The first question many people have about wisdom teeth is when you should get them removed. An article by Mayo Clinic titled Wisdom Teeth Removal: When is it necessary? explains that taking out wisdom teeth when one is a young adult, between the ages of 15 and 22-years-old, is recommended because it generally is safer, easier and involves a quicker recovery time. Younger people heal faster, and because the teeth are less developed, it takes less work to remove them.
No matter what age you have your wisdom teeth taken out, you will need a ride to and from the dental office. It is dangerous to drive with side effects of anesthesia. Although you are no longer asleep, you are not fully awake. I do not remember getting from the clinic to the car. A lot of people have a funny story about what they said, or what someone else said, after they had their wisdom teeth removed. My normally conscientious cousin kept swearing the whole time when she had hers taken out.
When you arrive at your oral surgeon’s office, you are prepped for the surgery. While I was rather out of it at this point due to my intense needle phobia, I do remember getting my arms strapped down and them inserting the IV that they would use to give me anesthesia. Similarly, they asked me to wear short sleeves and no nail polish on the day of the operation.
An article by AliMed titled The Importance of Armboard Straps in the Operating Room explains the importance of ensuring a patient stays still while they are satiated. Any unexpected movement could interfere with the operation and cause more problems.
While the experience is different for everyone, I felt like no time had passed while under anesthesia. It was like my eyes had just drifted shut for a few minutes and then opened. Even though it felt like minutes, my procedure took about an hour. An article titled How Long Does Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery Take? says that the procedure normally takes 40 to 90 minutes. After you are woken up, they will observe you for a little while before sending you home. The entire thing should only take one and a half to two hours.
Before the surgery, I was rather excited for the recovery part. Getting to skip school, eat pudding and watch TV all day: What is not to like? Because your mouth and jaw will be sore for at least a few days after the procedure, eating soft foods is highly recommended. You can not use a straw, though. The suction is bad for blood clots and can cause further complications. Some of the foods that I ate were pudding, jello, ice cream, various soups, applesauce and mashed potatoes. However, I am happy to report that I did not lose my taste for any of these foods once I’d recovered.
While the recovery process is different for every person, an article by Delta Dental titled Wisdom Teeth Extraction Recovery says that recovery time is based on multiple factors, including the number of teeth removed and the difficulty of the surgery. For me, it took about six days to be back in school and two weeks to chew normal meals. However, I stayed away from crunchy snacks like chips and pretzels for a whole month after the procedure.
After surgery , the first 10 days are the most important, according to the same article by Delta Dental. After that you can stop worrying about dry sockets. Dry sockets happen when a blood clot is lost and the nerves and bone are exposed. They are quite painful and require further medical attention.
Another thing that is important is to keep the rest of your teeth clean. My doctor told me to gargle warm salt water each night to help clean the areas that I could not reach. It was really gross the first few times, but I got used to it by the end. Once I could open my mouth wide enough to brush my teeth, I was afraid of getting my brush caught on a stitch or unhealed piece of skin in the back of my mouth. One thing that helped me keep my teeth clean was flossing. I could get further back and clean my teeth a little more efficiently.
