I just had my wisdom teeth removed..and have tons of questions. help?

Question

I got them removed about two hours ago. It still feels a little numb. How often should I replace the gauze and when is it okay to completely remove the gauze? When can I start eating again? Should I not chew at all when I eat? And the doctor said that I shouldn't rinse or brush today..so what if food is left in my mouth? haha and any other advice would be great! =]

Answer 1

I just had three of mine removed a few months ago.  You should probably replace the gauze every half hour or so depending on how much you are bleeding.  I had enough stitches that I didn't need the gauze after the first day.  As far as eating, stick with non-solids for at least the first day.  I couldn't eat anything remotely solid for four days because of the swelling and bruising.  You shouldn't rinse or brush today because you could dislodge the blood clots in your sockets left from the missing teeth which from what I hear can be very painful.

Hopefully your dentist gave you an instruction booklet for after care and a syringe for rinsing after meals.  Good luck in your healing!  

Answer 2

You should have been given a little paper instructing you what to do. but the first gauze given to you by the oral surgeon or whoever removed them should stay in for about 30 minutes. You should replace it every 20 minutes until the bleeding stops, a little redness on the gauze is okay, but if you're soaking it keep replacing it. Don't worry about the food left in your mouth you'll be able to slightly brush your teeth tomorrow. You should try to avoid foods that make you chew but if you feel comfortable then it's ok but nothing really all that hard. Avoid acid things, it burns at the extraction site. Avoid using straws and don't swish stuff around in your mouth, it may cause the blood clot to dislodge and that'd be no good. Also, you should sit up it helps with the swelling and the pain. You can eat whenever you want to but like i said avoid acidic things and probably should only stick to mushy things like jello. Don't eat anything that hot either, that won't feel good. Try eating slightly warmed mashed potatoes. I hope this helped! :)

Answer 3

Why didn't you ask your dentist? =o

Answer 4

You should be changing the gauze every 30 to 45 minutes, preferably 45. If you change it too often, you are disturbing the blood clotting process. Everytime you pull the gauze out, it makes the blood flow again, making it harder to clot. It is normal to bleed up to 24 hours post-surgery. You don't have to sleep with the gauze tonight, unless it's still bleeding a lot.

Don't start eating solid foods again for at least a full week. Right now, stay on liquids and really softs foods. Like ice cream, yogurt, porridge, milk shakes, pudding, soups (luke-warm), etc. Stay away from hot foods too, since it will melt your stitches and won't be good for the holes. If you have semi-solid foods, chew with your front teeth. Just try to leave the back alone.

Yeah, don't rinse or spit or suck or any type of motion that causes pressure. If you only eat liquid foods, there won't be any stuck in your mouth. If you really want to rinse, it's ok to just kinda sip the water into your mouth and let it run out of your mouth. Don't move your mouth at all, just let the water in and let it drain out.  Also, try not to sneeze if you can help it - that will really break the clot. Don't drink from a straw! This will dislodge your blood clot too.

Other advice...just stay on your painkillers on a tight schedule and ice on a tight schedule. This way you won't have any pain or any swelling, just like I didn't get any pain or swelling when I had mine removed two weeks ago.

Hope you have a quick recovery =)