The extraction of wisdom teeth is a common procedure for those in their late teens to early twenties. It is not until this time that one’s wisdom teeth – the third set of molars – typically emerge. Because they erupt later than other permanent teeth, wisdom teeth often begin to emerge in spaces that are not large enough to accommodate them. They can also come up at an angle that poses problems for neighboring teeth and tissues. In these cases, wisdom teeth can become impacted; stuck below the surface of the gums or jutting into the second molars. For this reason, wisdom teeth are oftentimes removed to avoid these types of problems.
Recovering from Wisdom Tooth Extraction
The recovery period following the extraction of wisdom teeth is typically a week or less. This is the case if care is taken, instructions are followed, and complications are avoided. Because the extraction sites are very tender and prone to damage in the first few days following surgery, it is key to avoid certain foods, beverages, and behaviors during the first few days and to slowly build back up to eating a wider variety of foods, etc. In addition to avoiding chewy, crunchy, fine-grained or acidic or spicy foods, it is important to avoid using a straw to drink beverages or smoking during the recovery period.
While certain foods can damage or irritate the delicate tissues that are healing over the extraction site, behaviors like drinking from a straw and smoking can actually create much more extensive damage to the healing process; great care should be taken to follow the rules surrounding these two behaviors during the healing process.
Smoking and Dry Socket
Like the action of drinking from a straw, smoking during the days following the extraction of wisdom teeth can lead to dry socket, a painful condition that requires intervention by one’s dentist to clean and protect the area from infection and other damage.
Dry socket occurs when the blood clot that naturally forms over the surface of the extraction site within the first 12 hours following surgery becomes dislodged. Smoking (as well as drinking from a straw, which is a related action in that it involves inhaling through pursed lips) causes repeated suction to occur within the mouth.
Normally, this small amount of suction isn’t enough to cause any problems to the hardy structures and tissues of the mouth; it is, after all, a very small amount of suction. It is enough, though, to dislodge a small blood clot, which is what protects the delicate extraction site following the removal of wisdom teeth. If and when this happens, the socket or wound is no longer protected by the moist clot. The absence of this protective clot means the exposure of highly sensitive nerves to air, which can cause a great deal of throbbing pain, as well as increased potential for infections to take hold.
Dry socket must be treated by a dentist, who will take steps to clean the area and either stitch the area closed or find an alternative way to cover it to reduce pain and prevent infection. While this can be a painful experience, it doesn’t have to happen. Avoid smoking and the use of straws, and the extraction site should be well on its way to being healed within a week’s time.