Your wisdom teeth are essentially vestigial third molars from a time in ancient human evolution when our ancestors consumed a lot of hard and tough foods. In the modern age, these teeth lingering in your gums are little more than a nuisance. Sometimes they can even lead to very serious complications with your oral health.
Fortunately, your dentist, Dr. Grant Brough, can safely remove your wisdom teeth in a single outpatient extraction appointment.
While your gums are healing, there are a few basic care considerations that they advocates to minimize your chances of suffering infection or other complications.
Try to eat a soft-foods diet, or at the very least try to avoid chewing in that area of your mouth. Staying hydrated is important. However, you should try to also avoid drinking extremely hot or cold beverages. You should also avoid drinking through a straw as this can pull blot clots loose from the incisions.
Your gums might bleed for a few days after the extraction. You can help minimize the bleeding by biting down lightly on a little rolled-up piece of sterile gauze. Once it has stopped, you can wash away any lingering blood with a lukewarm saltwater rinse.
Tobacco use is known to irritate healing gum tissues. This can increase recovery time and make you more prone to developing an infection in one or more incisions. If you do use tobacco products on a regular basis, this might be a good opportunity to also try a cessation program. Just try to choose one that doesn’t involve lozenges or nicotine gum. These can also irritate the gums.
If you are contemplating wisdom tooth extraction in Layton, Utah, you should call 801-773-5285 to schedule a consultation at Ridge Park Dental.