What should I have on hand for after I get my wisdom teeth pulled?

Question

I am 27 years old, scheduled to have my wisdom teeth removed under full anesthesia. I will remove my 2 upper wisdom teeth along with one molar. Any ideas of what type of stuff I should have on hand for my recovery? I already have tea bags for clotting my blood....any other ideas?
Any sugeestions would be appreciated! Thank You!

Answer 1

Tea bags? I was going to suggest gauze. I had 2 wisdom teeth plus one other tooth pulled last week and it wasn't a big deal. I was awake for the whole thing too. Painkillers are pretty important and you should see if they can prescribe some Vicodin or other Codeine pill for the pain. I didn't get any painkillers from them and they just told me to take 4 Advil at a time. I went home and took 8 and went to sleep. There's really not much else you can do. Stock up on soft bland foods and don't eat anything with seeds or other small particles for the first couple of days. Eat jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, soups without chunky things in them unless you can swallow the pieces whole. I guess you could puree food if you really wanted to. I bought a 6-pack of Ensure and that filled me up so I didn't have to worry about eating actual food for a day or so. Whatever you do, don't use straws, smoke or spit for a day or two. If you really have to spit the blood out of your mouth, just lean over the sink and let it fall/drip out. Don't clean out the area by sticking anything in there either. You don't want to do anything that will dislodge the blood clots that are trying to form in the first day or so. If you do, you'll get a dry socket and that's a hassle. Try not to rinse your mouth out that first day. When you do rinse (the next morning or something) swish the water around in your mouth VERY GENTLY and don't spit it out too hard. Rinsing with warm salt water is good. I've heard that using Listerine is not good but you should ask about that because I'm not sure if that's true.

Answer 2

After the procedure, your dentist will ask you to bite down on a sterile gauze for about 45 minutes.

Although how you heal depends on the degree of difficulty of the extraction, you should be given along with the prescription, a list of post op instructions.

Your dentist may prescribe:
•Antibiotics
•Anti-inflammatories
•Pain killers

You should avoid:
•Hot liquids
•Alcoholic beverages
•Greasy foods
•Spicy foods
•Smoking
•Exercise
•Rinsing vigorously

Do:
•Take care of your clot
•Brush gently

To minimize swelling, apply an ice pack to the face for 15 minutes at a time.

Your dentist must specify if you’ll be able to eat soft foods or just a liquid diet and for how long.
In the case of a difficult extraction, consume a liquid diet for the first 24 hours, then eat soft foods, such as gelatin, pudding, or soup. Gradually add solid foods to your diet.

Make sure someone drives you home after the surgery!

Answer 3

Do NOT use straws, smoke or do anything that causes suction. Be careful at first when rinsing. You don't want a dry socket- that hurts worse than an abcessed tooth! Definately ask your dentist for a syringe to rinse out the holes, but be careful not to rinse out the blood clot. Make sure you have lots of soft/cold foods for recovery, as you will not be able to chew anything hard for a while. If you can help it, I definately recommend doing one side of your mouth at a time, so you have one side to chew with. Good luck!

Answer 4

Make sure you have someone to drive you home after the procedure as you may be a little groggy. You will receive intstructions from the oral surgeon. Be sure to follow them and to call if you have any problems or questions. If the doctor prescribes antibiotics, make sure you finish the entire course of medication. There will be dietary instructions as well. You may receive instructions not to drink through a straw or to stop smoking (if you do) to prevent something called "dry socket". Some people have a couple of bags of frozen peas on hand --they are good for placing on your jaw for a short time to releive discomfort and swelling. Depending on the dietary instructions, liquids and soft foods are best for awhile. Soups, jello, popsicles, maybe iceream, potatoes are soft. The oral surgeon will probly prescribe a medication for pain/discomfort so getting your prescriptions filled is important., you may want to go home and rest for awhile.
Hope all goes well!

Answer 5

A syringe Use it frequently to keep the empty holes clean after the tooth removal. Otherwise you will get dry socket. Especially after eating. After awhile the holes will grow together. The initial period after the tooth removal it is very important to keep the cavity clean.

Answer 6

Don't forget to get mushy food like soup or jello or applesauce because you won't be able to chew for about a week. The dentist should be able to prescribe Vicodin for you which is great for relieving pain. Good luck!

Answer 7

Slimfast, Yogurt, any other soft food.

The painkillers will be given to you by the dentist. You just need to make sure you have plenty of soft foods to eat. Your not going to be able to really eat anything solid for first week atleast if not two weeks.

Answer 8

Rinsing with salt water did wonders for me. Use it after every meal. I did not have any pain at all afterwards and did not need to use any pain killers. But be sure not to rinse at all for the first 24 hours.

Answer 9

a good book to make you think such as The Da Vinci Code

Answer 10

Ice. Lick it, will reduce the swelling and the gum inflammation, do it for three days.