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Wisdom teeth, or the third molars, typically develop when a person is in their late teens or early 20s. Although some people keep their wisdom teeth, they are most commonly removed since there is often little-to-no space for them in the mouth. Wisdom teeth often grow at a severe angle, causing them to become impacted or crowd other teeth. As a result, it is very important to remove wisdom teeth as soon as they become an issue. The routine procedure is safe, and the patient will typically not experience pain during the process.
The recovery time for a wisdom teeth extraction varies from a few days to more than a week. This length of time depends upon several factors including whether or not the teeth were impacted prior to their removal. Although most normal activities can be resumed during the recovery process, the patient must be sure not to disturb the blood clot that will have formed over the site of the extraction.
It is recommended that the patient only consume soft foods while the recovery takes place. Some patients might require an entire week of healing before hard foods can be chewed comfortably. Patients are also instructed to drink plenty of fluids and to refrain from smoking, vigorous exercise and using a straw. We will provide the patient with additional instructions for care. In the event that the patient experiences further complications such as dry sockets, they should contact our office as soon as possible to receive necessary treatment.
