Good preparation often leads to success. don’t you agree? This principle also applies for wisdom teeth surgery. Knowing what to expect before, during, and after your surgery will make the recovery and transition process smoother. A wisdom teeth surgery may not be the most fun thing you have on your to-do-list, but it doesn’t have to be a bad experience. It can be a really good one if you know what to do before, during, and after your surgery.
Before Surgery
A consultation with your surgeon is a must. You will have to take an x-ray photo of your teeth so your surgeon will know the exact condition of your wisdom teeth. This x-ray photo will help him or her determine how minor or major the surgery will be. More ideal growth means the surgery will be less complicated too.
During this consultation, make sure you ask your surgeon in detail for what you need to do for the surgery preparation and the first few days after surgery. Take careful notes and don’t wait until the day of the surgery or after the surgery to ask about these details.
On the day before and the day of your surgery, avoid eating or drinking any food or beverage that contain alcohol and avoid smoking. Go to a supermarket and stock up soft foods at home, such as yogurt, soup, eggs, high-protein fruit, and even ice cream. You can’t eat normal food for a while after surgery, so you need to be well prepared.
Also, brush your teeth well before you go into surgery. With the incisions and stitches, you won’t be able to brush your teeth as freely as you would want to in the first few days to a week after surgery. You will be recommended to use mouthwash and gargle gently instead to be safe.
During Surgery
Your surgeon will probably ask you to lie down on a dental chair and place some kind of medical scrub over you to keep your clothes from getting dirty or wet. The wonderful news about wisdom teeth surgery is that you won’t experience pain during the surgery. Your surgeon will give you anaesthesia first before he or she starts doing anything to your wisdom teeth.
If your surgery is major and complicated that it requires a general anaesthesia, then you won’t be awake at all during your surgery. For most cases, you will not need general anaesthesia. Most people are given local anaesthesia. With local anaesthesia, you will be awake throughout the procedure and you will be able to see your surgeon, but it won’t be as scary as you think. You won’t be able to see what he or she is doing to your teeth and you won’t feel any pain.
After Surgery
Your first agenda after surgery should be to rest. It will take some time until the effect of anaesthesia wears off completely from your body, so you might not feel pain right away. This is the perfect time to take a nap or sleep until the next day, depending on the time of your surgery and the time you reach home.
On the first night, you should cover your pillow with a towel that is folded in a few layers, because there will probably be some bleeding. If that happens and you sleep right on top of your pillow, you might get blood all over your pillow cover. Be diligent in replacing your gauze pads every few hours and remember to take all the medications as instructed by your surgeon. If the pain becomes too much talk to your surgeon to help you with this.
You can expect to eat soft foods for a while. The texture cannot be chewy or hard. You have to really watch what you consume. You cannot eat spicy food. What you eat and drink has to be in room temperature or rather cold, it cannot be hot. Don’t smoke, don’t drink coffee or tea or alcoholic beverages, and don’t use straws.
Check out our article on the Cost of Wisdom Tooth Removal in Singapore for detailed cost breakdown of wisdom tooth surgery in Singapore!
