Having your wisdom teeth removed takes some recovery time and complications are unfortunately common. You are trying to heal an area of the body that stays moist and is bombarded with foreign substances like food particles and bacteria. Unlike a surgical incision elsewhere on the body, the incisions made in the mouth cannot be easily bandaged and protected during the healing process. Your emergency dentist in Columbus, Ohio or your oral surgeon can give you specific instructions.

Immediately after the surgery, you have to let the affects of the anesthetic wear off. That means rest. Avoid physical exertion for the rest of the day and maybe for several days after. There are great variations in the amount of rest you will need until you heal depending on your age, the amount of bone that was removed, and your own individuality.

Watch for bleeding. You will have blood-tinged saliva for the first 48 hours or so. This is normal. But if there are dark red clots of blood in your mouth, that isn’t normal. If you have gauze, bite on it while you lie still for about forty-five minutes or so. If you don’t have gauze, use a folded up paper towel—anything to put pressure on the surgical site. If the bleeding persists, call your emergency dentist in Columbus, Ohio.

If you have been prescribed pain medication, take only as needed to control the pain. If you find the pain medication inadequate to control the pain in the dosage prescribed, call your dentist.

Eat soft foods and drink plenty of liquids the day of the surgery and for a few days after. Don’t rush getting back to solid foods. Continue to eat soft foods until you can chew without pain. Make sure your diet includes protein and vitamin C. Ice cream and milk are good sources of nutrients for healing.

Keep the surgical site clean as much as you can. Start by rinsing with salt water several times a day. A teaspoon of salt in a cup of water is about the right mixture. Brush your teeth, but use a soft brush. After a couple of days, begin to brush the teeth furthest back, being sure not to disturb any loose tissue that has been sutured into place.

A common healing complication is dry socket. This occurs in 10% to 15% of patients, and is much more prevalent in the lower jaw. With dry socket, healing progresses normally for about three days, and then there is a dramatic increase in pain coming from the socket and radiating to the ear. If this happens to you, call your emergency dentist.

The roots of lower wisdom teeth may lie near the main nerve to the lower jaw, and their crowns may be near the nerve to the tongue. During the surgery, these nerves could be damaged. This happens in 1% to 2% of cases. The result is numbness in the lips, chin, and teeth on the side affected, or in the side of the tongue. This is rarely permanent, but it is annoying for several weeks up to several months. Movement would not be affected—only sensation. If this happens to you, your emergency dentist in Columbus, Ohio will be able to determine the actual cause. It may be that the nerves were not touched during the surgery, but there is swelling pressing on the nerve, causing it to go numb. In this case, a prescription of anti-inflammatory medication can ease the swelling and make recovery quicker.

If the roots of your upper wisdom teeth lie close enough to the wall of one of your nasal sinuses, your sinus wall could be perforated during the operation. If that happens, you would notice bleeding through your nose after the surgery. Call your dentist, who can advise you on how to care for it until it heals. Your dentist may want to perform a minor post-operative surgical procedure to close the hole. In rare cases, the wall between the tooth and the sinus can be so delicate that attempts at extraction cause the tooth or a piece of the tooth to be displaced into the sinus. If this happens, the piece or tooth should be surgically removed to prevent later sinus infections.