It is often said that the pain in a tooth is the second most severe pain after labour pains. Once your wisdom tooth becomes infected however, it has the potential to become extremely painful and unbearable. The reason being, that as it is the very back tooth in the mouth you may be biting down on the swollen infected gum surrounding the tooth, and the roots are close to your jaw joint as well as the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for facial sensations and motor functions like biting and chewing.

Recovery from a wisdom tooth extraction takes a few days. Here are a few things to remember, to help keep you as comfortable as possible:

• You will be provided with a gauze pad immediately after the extraction to stop the bleeding and help the blood clot start to form. This pad needs to be bitten down on with a relatively firm pressure, just like you would with any other wound on your body.

• The mouth will be numb for some time but try to keep from biting your cheek, tongue or your lips, and stay away from hot food and drinks until the following day.
• Avoid sleeping flat on your back- if possible prop yourself up with pillows.

• To stop the pain and restrict swelling, you can use an ice pack on your jaw for the first 24 hours. After that, you can apply a slightly warm heat pack for two to three days help stop the restriction in your jaw movement.

• After your surgery, just remember to relax as much as you can. We understand that this isn’t always possible, but it’s important due to the fact that physical activity can initiate further bleeding and slow down the healing process.  
However, in spite of being careful, there is always the possibility that you may still experience one of the following complications associated with complicated extractions:

• Continued bleeding after 24 hours

• Prolonged numbness

• A dry socket, in which the blood clot has been lost and the pain seems to get worse after 4-5 days.

If any of these become a concern for you, please don’t hesitate to call and book a review with the treating dentist.
If you are facing dental problems and looking for a great family friendly dentist in Singleton, you should contact us at msdental.com.au  We have a vast experience in handling tough cases like wisdom teeth extraction and we do our best to ensure that you don’t suffer from any of the risks that have been listed above. Our expertise and quality  work speaks for itself, and we will do our very best to give you our guidance and treatment opinions to help you live a life free from dental pain.

Please feel free to inquire about our payment plan options as well, as that can help in removing any extra unwanted stress to your dental experience.