Wisdom Tooth Removal Recovery - Lincoln, NE

Dr. Andrew R. Glenn educates all our patients on what they can expect with their wisdom tooth removal recovery during the consultation at our Lincoln, NE office. Patients who follow Dr. Glenn’s detailed instructions can expect to make a full recovery with minimal complications. His use of advanced oral surgery techniques also helps to ensure your recovery time and discomfort are minimal.

Immediately after Surgery

For the first hour or so, you will gently bite down on gauze placed over the incision sites. This will help to stop the bleeding after your surgery. You may need to use new gauze a couple times within the hour before the bleeding has stopped.

You will experience pain and swelling after your surgery. Dr. Glenn will provide you with pain medication, which you should take as directed to minimize your discomfort. To reduce swelling, we recommend placing ice packs over the tender areas of your cheeks. You may also experience some nausea or vomiting as a result of the anesthesia or pain medicine. This will typically subside within a day or so.

The anesthesia can take a couple more hours to fully wear off. You will need another adult to drive you home after surgery. We recommend having someone stay with you for the first 24 hours so you can rest and they can help make sure you are taking your medications on time.

Oral Hygiene and Diet

It is important to keep the incisions clean, so you must continue brushing and flossing. We recommend waiting to brush your teeth until later in the evening. You should brush and floss gently to avoid disturbing the incisions or stitches. After the first 24 hours have passed, we recommended rinsing with a saltwater solution. You should not spit, either after brushing or after rinsing. Simply let the water drip out of your mouth.

We recommend eating a diet of soft foods for the first couple days. You should avoid anything that is overly hot and you should also avoid using a straw. The sucking action can loosen the blood clot and cause more bleeding and delayed healing. Most patients find eating soups, yogurt, and similar items cause the least discomfort. You can gradually reintroduce solid foods over the next several days.

Two to Three Days after Surgery

Within two to three days, you may begin to notice some bruising on your cheeks. This is normal and will fade relatively quickly. You may experience a sore throat or stiff jaw during this time as well. All of this is normal and should subside within a week or so. You should continue eating soft foods and putting ice on your cheeks if you are still experiencing discomfort.

Removal of Stitches

In most cases, Dr. Glenn uses dissolvable stitches. These typically dissolve within a week or so following your surgery. If for some reason dissolvable stitches were not used, you will return to our office within seven to ten days for their removal.

Contact Us with Any Questions

If you have any questions or concerns about the recovery process following wisdom tooth removal, please contact our office today.

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