3 Easy Ways To Accelerate Your Recovery Following A Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Many people are worried about having their wisdom teeth removed, but the procedure is absolutely essential in order to maintain a healthy mouth if the wisdom tooth is interfering with the rest of your teeth. Thankfully, if you are worried about the pain following the procedure, there are a few things you can do to help speed up your recovery:

Prevent the Socket from Becoming Dry

Whilst dry sockets don't occur in every patient, they can be particularly uncomfortable for those who do end up with it. Dry sockets occur in the hole where the wisdom tooth has been removed. Following the procedure, a blood clot forms in order to protect the underlying bone and nerves. If this clot dissolves, it can leave the nerve endings in your mouth exposed. If the nerve endings come into contact with anything that enters the mouth, you can experience severe pain. Thankfully, you can keep your chances of developing a dry socket low by taking care of the area following the tooth removal.

Some things to remember are:

• Try not to move your head quickly, as this can cause the protective clot to become dislodged.

• Don't drink through a straw, as the suction developed in your mouth can cause the blood clot to become dislodged.

• Make sure any exercise you carry out in the weeks following your procedure is relatively low intensity to ensure the blood clot remains in the empty socket.

• Use pillows to keep your head elevated as you sleep; lying at an angle will give the blood clot a chance to establish itself within the socket, whereas lying flat could cause the blood clot to become dislodged.

Rinse the Area with Salt

If you've ever tried to reduce the pain caused by an abscess, you may have come across the practice of salt-water rinsing. If you've never used this technique, it's worth learning about as you will be able to reduce the chances of developing an infection following tooth removal. Don't worry, this process of "adding salt to the wounds" isn't as painful as it sounds, and it can greatly speed up the recovery process.

For maximum effectiveness, rinse your mouth with a salt and water solution after consuming any food or liquid. This helps to clear the socket out and ensures that any debris from the food is swiftly removed, leaving the area clean. You should also rinse the area once you awaken in the morning to remove any bacteria, and again before you go to sleep to ensure the area is clean throughout the night. This process may be slightly painful at first, but once you have used the solution a few times, the pain will subside and your mouth will be much healthier.

Make Yourself a Wheatgrass-infused Smoothie

Wheatgrass, a plant that you may not even have heard of, could possibly be one of the best home remedies that will help you recover from your wisdom tooth extraction. Whilst wheatgrass has many overall health benefits, it has a few specific components that make it a brilliant oral hygiene remedy:

• Consuming wheatgrass can increase the body's production of hemoglobin – a chemical found in red blood cells that helps to improve wound healing.

• Wheatgrass is full of vitamin K, which is an effective blood-clotting agent. Whilst blood clotting is generally to be avoided, it is absolutely essential when recovering from wisdom tooth extraction.

• Wheatgrass has long been considered a natural antibiotic and is able to kill many of the germs that lead to oral diseases.

Whilst you can consume wheatgrass in a number of different ways, perhaps the best way is to combine wheatgrass with carrot juice. Carrots are high in a number of essential vitamins and minerals, and combining both will give you a vitamin-packed smoothie that will help speed up your recovery.  

For more information, contact a dentist or oral surgeon at a clinic like Renovo Endodontic Studio.