How to Deal with Pain After Wisdom Teeth Removal

If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort, swollen gums, or nerve or tissue damage due to impacted wisdom teeth, it may be time to remove them. At Distinctive Dentistry, we offer safe and effective wisdom tooth removal services to residents in Eugene, Oregon, and surrounding communities.

Painless Tooth Extraction

Impacted wisdom teeth are removed through surgical extraction using local anesthesia. We’ll make a small incision in your gum tissue, remove any bone covering the tooth so we can reach it easily, loosen your tooth and then remove it. We’ll then stitch the incision to help it heal.

Dealing with Pain After Wisdom Teeth Removal

If you’re feeling pain after your extraction, we recommend the following: 

• Gently rinse the extraction site with warm salt water or an anti-microbial mouth rinse to relieve pain and keep the area clean
• Take OTC pain medication or prescription painkillers as prescribed by your dentist. Your dentist may also give you antibiotics to prevent infection and ease pain
• Apply an icepack or cold compress to your cheek in the area where the extraction was done
• Eat only soft foods like yogurt, blended soups, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, etc., for the first few days
• Get plenty of rest and avoid stressful situations that can produce headaches on top of tooth extraction pain. Use an extra pillow to elevate your head when sleeping. Avoid alcohol and tobacco products, as these can aggravate your condition

Dry Sockets, Cause of Dry Sockets, and Treatment

A blood clot forms in the empty socket when a tooth is removed to help the area heal. If a blood clot doesn’t develop or is dislodged prematurely, it can cause a painful condition called dry socket. Lack of blood clots in the socket exposes your bone and nerves, putting you at risk of infection. Blood clots can be dislodged accidentally if you’re not careful when cleaning the extraction site, drink with a straw, or swish too harshly when rinsing your mouth.

Rinsing the area with warm salt water and applying medicated gauze over the socket can help ease pain and help dry sockets heal. OTC painkillers can also help with pain relief. 

Wisdom Tooth Removal Near Me in Eugene, Oregon

To schedule a consultation for wisdom teeth removal in Eugene, OR, contact Drs. Ty Jaros, Jacob Gubrud and Robert Gemmell from Distinctive Dentistry at (541) 255-1287.