3 Tips For A Pain-Free Recovery Following Wisdom Teeth Removal
About 90 percent of all adults today will have an issue with at least one of their wisdom teeth during their lifetime, according to US News. So if you've recently been scheduled for wisdom teeth removal surgery, you can take heart in the fact that it's a fairly common practice. While the surgery itself is usually painless due to anesthesia, it's the immediate aftermath that often causes a problem for most people. Here are three tips for bouncing back and recovering quickly following your wisdom teeth surgery.
Keep Opening Your Mouth
There will be a lot of soreness and pain in your mouth and throat following the surgery. Because of this, you might naturally want to move those muscles as little as possible. But that's actually one of the worst things you can do for your recovery. The stiffness that you feel after your surgery needs to be stretched out. Open your mouth slowly following the surgery, but get into the habit of moving it around every couple of hours, even if you don't feel like talking to anyone.
Use Tea Bags for the Bleeding
When you first wake up after wisdom teeth surgery, you'll likely have some gauze in your mouth. There could be some continued bleeding inside your mouth following the surgery, and it might not stop completely on the first day. If you need something else to keep pressure on the affected area, consider using some tea bags once you get home. Tea bags can be clamped down on the same as gauze, but tea leaves have the additional benefit of being able to help reduce pain and swelling.
Salt Water is Your New Best Friend
The doctor will likely provide you with some medication to help with the pain. But if the medicine is wearing off and it's not time again to take another pill, you are going to need some help keeping the pain at bay. Thankfully, there's a nearly free resource that you already have at home that can help. Saltwater can help reduce swelling and alleviate pain. Make a batch of it in a small, microwaveable cup and then heat it up. Gargle with salt water as often as needed to keep the pain in check.
The first few days after wisdom teeth removal can be painful, even if you are on medication and eating liquid foods. If you want to speed up your road to recovery, be sure to keep stretching your mouth to get rid of any stiffness and use teabags and salt water to help keep the pain to a minimum. Contact your doctor for additional tips.
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