"How can I heal faster and have less pain after my wisdom teeth are extracted?"

You can probably eat most of the same foods that you usually eat but you will need to mash them up in the blender so that you do not need to chew them. Chewing for the first day or two will be a painful experience and it may dislodge a clot. Yogurt is good, or Jello, anything soft and easy to just swallow with no chewing. Anything with vitamin C will speed your recovery period by healing your gums faster so go ahead n drink down that juice but avoid the straw. The pull that is required to suck on a straw might also dislodge the newly forming clot so avoid straw drinking. Also avoid very spicy foods as well as chewing gum, hard candy that you need to suck on or candy that you chew like caramel candy, or any chewy taffy candies.

Strenuous activity is not a good idea for perhaps 4 days to a week as it will cause you to strain and put pressure on your wounded jaw. Taking it easy for these few days is a good idea. After two or three days you can gradually resume your normal activity and after a week you should be back up to your usual speed, barring complications. Check with your Dentist to see what she recommends. Each case is different and only she has seen your extraction and knows it's depth and potential for healing healthily.

You will want to avoid aspirin as it will slows the blood's ability to clot, this makes for more bleeding if you use it for pain after your surgery. Use Tylenol instead if you do not want to take the Dentist ordered stronger prescription pain medicines. I usually save the prescription medicines for the night time as I find the pain worse with out the day time distractions. You should also know that prescription pain medicines will usually cause constipation and sleepiness so use them with caution. If you need the prescription medicines during the day and at night, you might want to consider taking a diet that is a bit higher in fiber than you usually eat to keep your digestion moving along at a comfortable pace. You should also avoid driving as the drowsiness can be pretty severe.

Reasons to call your doctor may include, continuing or worsening pain, swelling that does not go away, fever, dizziness, continuing bleeding or nausea. You should not hesitate to contact your oral surgeon about these or any other issues that you are concerned about. It should be a part of your surgical follow up care, there should be no additional charge for this care.

All in all you should be back to your usual diet and activity level after a few days to a week. Heal well and take good care of the rest of your teeth.

Learn more about this author, A. C. O'Brien.
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