Managing Pain Due to Wisdom Teeth Removal
Wisdom teeth don't bother everyone, but when they do, they can feel incredibly painful or they can cause infections. Your dentist may decide that the best way to manage the problem is to remove your wisdom teeth. Using a few tips, you can minimise the pain when this happens.
Quit Smoking in Advance
Quitting smoking ahead of your wisdom teeth removal helps reduce pain in a couple of ways. First, it reduces your risk of infection. As a part of your body's response to infection is to send pain signals, reducing that risk is helpful. Additionally, smoking can reduce the amount of blood that flows to the extraction area. This extends your healing period, which in itself can make pain more likely.
Use Cold Therapies
Pressing a cold compress to your face can work wonders after your wisdom teeth extraction. Cold temperatures can cause your blood vessels to contract. When this happens, there's less swelling in the affected area. As swelling presses down on pain nerves, having less of it can make you feel comfortable.
Use One More Pillow
If you only use one pillow at night, the blood vessels in your head may fall below your heart. As a result, blood is more likely to pool there and enter the capillaries supporting the tissues at the extraction area. This causes your swelling to increase, which then results in pain. By using one more pillow, you elevate your head slightly. As a result, you should experience less inflammation.
Ditch Alcohol
While it might be tempting to sip a glass of wine in the 24 hours following your wisdom teeth removal, it can slow the healing process. Alcohol thins your blood, and that makes it easier for blood to gather and cause more inflammation. If you abstain from alcohol for 24 hours, you give the surgical site a better chance of healing.
Try Medications
Mild analgesics are usually sufficient for addressing wisdom tooth pain. For example, paracetamol or ibuprofen. However, when the tooth is particularly difficult to remove, your dentist may need to prescribe something stronger. Should you find that the medications they recommend aren't sufficient, contact them so they can investigate whether there is a problem.
Overall, wisdom tooth removal pain isn't severe. However, when an infection arises, it can make the pain feel abnormal. By following your dentist's advice and maintaining open lines of communication, you can enjoy a smooth and beneficial healing period.
Talk to a dental professional to learn more about wisdom teeth removal.
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