Most patients feel fully recovered from wisdom teeth surgery in three to four days. If you have impacted teeth or any other wisdom teeth complications, it may take up to a week to feel better.
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are your third set of molars. Normal, healthy wisdom teeth emerge in the back of the mouth at some point during the late teens or early adulthood.
Why Do Oral Surgeons Remove Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth can cause many dental problems, including pain, decay, infection, impacted teeth, and the movement of other teeth. Most people do not have the space to allow these teeth to erupt naturally. If you have any questions about whether your wisdom teeth should come out or can safely be left alone, please call us for a consultation.
The Wisdom Teeth Removal Process
You will receive local anesthesia on your teeth and gums. You may also choose to receive IV sedation or general anesthesia for your comfort.
The oral surgeon cuts a small incision in your gums, through which they remove the bone that may be covering your tooth. Then they use special dental tools to loosen and remove the tooth.
If you have impacted teeth, the surgeon may need to break them into pieces to extract them.
The oral surgeon will put sutures in your gum to protect the area. Typically, wisdom teeth surgery takes only a short time, perhaps 20 to 30 minutes per tooth.
Healing After Wisdom Teeth Surgery
In general, the younger you are during the surgery, the faster your healing will be. If you wait until your thirties, forties, or beyond to have your wisdom teeth out, you may experience more discomfort and complications.
You may experience bleeding, bruising, facial swelling, jaw soreness, and other mild to moderate symptoms that should respond well to medication and home care.
The sutured areas and tooth sockets should heal completely in about six weeks. During this time, follow our at-home care instructions to ensure a comfortable recovery.
Tips For a Smooth Recovery
Ice packs are key to reducing swelling. Combining ice packs with a prescription or over-the-counter pain medication should control your discomfort.
Start with cool or room-temperature liquids and gradually add other foods as you can tolerate them. Stay away from hard, crunchy, or chewy foods for at least two weeks after surgery or eight weeks if you have lower wisdom teeth removed.
Call Rio Grande Oral Surgery
Wisdom teeth surgery may be intimidating, but most people tolerate it well and feel recovered within a few days to a few weeks.
If you need wisdom teeth surgery, please call our Albuquerque, NM office at 505-821-2111. We can schedule a consultation, evaluate your teeth, and let you know how we can help.