I just had my wisdom teeth out today, should I wear my retainer tonight?

Question

I wear a night guard/bite plane on the bottom at night. When I had my (two lower) wisdom teeth out today, I forgot to ask if it would be okay to wear it or not?

It is the kind that goes all the way to the gumline. I haven't noticed any bleeding for the past couple of hours and am in very little pain.
I suppose I'll just try putting it in and see how it feels?

Answer 1

Call and ask them. Even if they are closed, they probably have a service which will contact the dentist on call who will get back to you.

In general, I'd say that if you are very, very sore and it uncomfortable to put it in, then do not wear it. Frankly, it'll probably be fine either way, but CALL THEM and ask.

Answer 2

The thing is that there will be no problem if you want to put on your retainer tonight, because the retainer usually does not extend too far back (to the area of wisdom teeth), so, basically, they won't disturb your extraction site.
The problem is you mentioned that both of your lower wisdom teeth are out, is that only simple extraction, or involve minor oral surgery? The reason i asked such question because if the minor oral surgery is involve, your face will swell up, also, you will have the limitation of mouth opening for few days to a week after that. The swelling will cause discomfort to you (you yourself will be discourage from wearing the retainer dur to it). Also, the limitation of mouth opening varies depends on the extend of the surgery. But usually if both lower wisdom teeth removed with minor oral surgery, you will have quite severe limitation of mouth opening. I afraid that you can put in the retainer easily today, but having difficulty in removing it out from your mouth the next morning when you started to expereince the limitation of mouth opening.
Conclusion, give your dentist a call. Only he/she knows what he/she did inside your mouth, and only he/she knows whether you can put on your retainer or not.

I am a dentist.

Answer 3

Your going to have some swelling. Might get really uncomfortable. Your tissue will be tender for several days I'd put it on if it doesn't touch the area, leave it out if it does, it may not go back that far. So you might be okay. Some night guards only cover the anterior teeth others do run all the back- .

Answer 4

I work at a dental office and I'm really not sure, but I know if you don't, your grinding will make you even more sore than just the extractions. I'm sure it's fine if the nightguard is the kind that doesn't go all the way down to your gumline.

Answer 5

if it doesn't go near your sockets, you are ok. you do not want to loosen the blood clots and end up with dry socket.

POST-OP INSTRUCTIONS


Bite on the gauze for about 30 minutes after your surgery. Do not bite too firmly, just enough to keep the gauze in place. After the blood clot forms it is important to protect it especially for the next 48 hours to avoid dry socket. Drainage for a few days is normal. To minimize swelling and bleeding, keep head elevated (use extra pillows when sleeping). You can brush your teeth the day of surgery. Avoid brushing the surgery site. Any stitches will come out on their own in a week

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water after meals and before bed. Begin a very gentle warm salt water rinses (1tsp. salt for every 8oz. of water). The first day or so, do not swish the water around in your mouth; Instead, move your head side to side to rinse. Do not spit; Let the water flow out of your mouth. If you are watching salt intake in your diet, you may substitute the salt water rinse with a peroxide and warm water rinse. Use a 50/50 peroxide and water solution

NO smoking for 2 days
NO drinking through a straw for 2 days
NO mouthwash for a week
NO excessive spitting
NO vigorous rinsing for at least 48 hours after your surgery
AVOID alcoholic beverages
AVOID greasy foods
AVOID high acidic foods and drinks such as tomatos, orange juice, etc....
DO NOT over exert yourself. It is ok to ride in a car or on a plane

For Pain:

Advil (Ibuprofen) or Aleve (Naproxin Sodium) or Extra-Strength Tylenol (Acetaminophen). Take with food. NO aspirin or aspirin products

For Swelling:

Place an ice bag on side of face where your surgery was, for 30 minutes on, then 30 minutes off. Repeat for 6 hours. After 48 hours, use warm compresses as needed for swelling

Eat soft foods. No chips, pretzels, peanuts, etc.... Stay away from crunchy, chewy or small hard foods, to avoid food particles becoming lodged in the socket. Suggested foods are clear broth, pasta, potatoes, yogurt, baby food, smoothies, pudding, cream of wheat, 7up, Ginger Ale, apple juice
____________

EXTRACTIONS

Extractions have to be done well. Normally they pull a tooth out, stick a piece of gauze in there and say bite on it. After the tooth is removed, the socket has to be completely cleaned so that complete healing can occur. If tissue such as torn pieces of ligaments or periosteum is left in the socket and covers the bone, the bone will tend to heal over the top, leaving a hole in the bone, and new bone cannot form. This hole can persist for the rest of the patient's life. It is a chronic infection that is called an alveolar cavitational osteopathosis or cavitation. This means that there is an infected cavity in the bone. These bone infections are only now being seriously researched. If they are fairly easy to prevent by proper socket cleaning, why is this not being done? But many if not most dentists have never heard of cavitations.


CAVITATIONS

A cavitation is an unhealed hole in the jawbone caused by an extracted tooth [or a root canal or an injury to a tooth]. Since wisdom teeth are the most commonly extracted teeth, most cavitations are found in the wisdom tooth sites. Please see the graphic and photo below to get a glimpse of what may be in your mouth and the effects it is having. The photo and diagram demonstrate the destructive and pathologic consequence of a routine tooth extraction. Dentists are taught in dental school that once they pull a tooth, the patient's body heals the resulting hole in the jawbone. However, approximately 95% of all tooth extractions result in a pathologic defect called a cavitation. The tooth is attached to the jawbone by a periodontal ligament which is comprised of "jillions" of microscopic fibers. One end of each fiber is attached to the jawbone and the other end of the fiber is attached to the tooth root. When a tooth is extracted, the fibers break midway between the root and the bone. This leaves the socket (the area where the root was anchored in the bone) coated with periodontal ligament fibers.

There are specialized cells in the bone called osteoblasts. Osteoblasts make new bone. The word "osteoblast" means bone former. They are active during growth and maintenance. However, the periodontal ligament prevents the osteoblasts from filling in the tooth socket with bone since the periodontal ligament fibers lining the socket act as a barrier beyond which the osteoblasts cannot form bone. In other words, an osteoblast "sees" a tooth when it "sees" periodontal ligament fibers. Since there are billions of bacteria in the mouth, they easily get into the open tooth socket. Since the bone is unable to fill in the defect of the socket, the newly formed "cavitation" is now infected. Since there is no blood supply to the "cavitation" it is called "ischemic" or "avascular" (without a blood supply). This results in necrosis (tissue death). Hence we call a cavitation an unhealed, chronically infected, avascular, necrotic hole in the bone. The defect acts to an acupuncture meridian the same way a dead tooth (or root canal tooth) acts. It causes an interference field on the meridian which can impair the function and health of other tissues, organs and structures on the meridian. Significantly, the bacteria in the cavitation also produce the same deadly toxins that are produced by the bacteria in root canals (see Root Canals). These toxins are thio-ethers (most toxic organic substance known to man), thio-ethanols, and mercaptans. They have been found in the tumors in women with breast cancer.

Answer 6

You didn't ask your dentist today, but you ask on yahoo answers?! wow.