How do I Recover from Wisdom Tooth Surgery?

How to recover from wisdom tooth surgery 

Wisdom tooth recovery depends on a few things – like your age, how many wisdom teeth were removed and whether any of them are impacted (hidden under the gum). If you need your wisdom teeth removed, here's what you can expect, and how to recover, following your extraction surgery.  

Days 0 – 1 following wisdom teeth surgery 

What to expect 

Local or general anesthetic can leave you feeling a bit groggy. After surgery it’s important to have someone drive you home from the clinic so that you can start the healing process safely.  

You’ll experience a range of common symptoms after surgery. While many of these aren’t very pleasant, they’re a normal part of the healing process. Common symptoms include: 

• Swelling and pain in the mouth 
• Mild cheek bruising 
• Lockjaw 
• An unusual taste 
• Numbness, tingling or a lack of sensation in the mouth 

If you experience intense pain or a lot of bleeding, you should contact your dental surgeon or seek medical attention. It’s also important not to do any physical activity during this time.  

What to do 

You’ll be given specific instructions for your recovery from your dentist. They might include: 

• Using an ice pack intermittently for the first 48 hours 
• Sticking to a soft foods or liquid diet 
• Drinking plenty of fluids  
• Taking prescribed pain relief 
• Cleaning your mouth gently but avoiding rinsing 

Days 2 – 4 following wisdom teeth surgery 

What to expect  

It’s normal for things to feel a little worse on days two to four after wisdom teeth surgery. As the numbness of your surgery wears off, it’s natural for the swelling and inflammation to peak and hurt a bit more.  

During this time, you might experience: 

• Increased swelling and bruising of your cheeks 
• A sore, stiff jaw 
• Reduced bleeding from the extraction site 
• A slow return to normal activities and work 

What to do 

To aid recovery on these days you can start rinsing your mouth with very warm, salty water. This is something you shouldn't do on day one as it will disturb the blood clot that keeps your exposed nerves covered. Your main aims are to keep the socket clean and manage your pain during this time. 

Days 5 – 14 following wisdom teeth surgery 

What to expect 

By day five the worst of the recovery is over. From day five onwards you can start getting back to a normal-ish routine. You may experience: 

• A decrease in swelling, bruises and pain in mouth and cheeks 
• Jaw mobility getting back to normal 
• A gradual return to gentle exercise 
• No more bleeding or tingling  

What to do 

Most people will experience a return to near-normal seven days after surgery. From day five you can introduce gentle exercise and brush gently around your extraction site. 

Need your wisdom teeth checked? 

While it's normal to experience pain from erupting wisdom teeth, any long-term pain could be a sign your teeth are impacted. Get your wisdom teeth checked by booking an appointment at Gentle Dental now.