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What To Expect After Your Impacted Tooth Surgery

23 March 2015 by Christy Long

Once your oral surgeon is finished removing your impacted tooth, recovery will take several days. Knowing what to expect and how to take care of yourself during the recovery process may speed your recovery and maximize your comfort.

Normal Symptoms of a Recovery

In the days after your surgery, these symptoms are normal and expected:

• Painful swallowing. You may have difficulty swallowing for the first few days after the surgery, and your throat may be sore. This will go away on its own, given time. 
• Stiff jaw. The stiffness of the muscles in your jaw can make it tough to open your mouth all the way. Practice opening and closing your mouth to help loosen the muscles.
• Numbness. You may feel numbness on the side of your mouth where the impacted tooth was removed, either on the tongue or lip. This is normal and will eventually go away on its own. 
• Earache. You may experience an ear ache on the side of your head where the tooth was removed. 
• Bleeding. The site of the tooth extraction will bleed while it heals. In most cases, this bleeding will be a slow oozing, and not a strong gush. Bite down on gauze to help stifle the bleeding. If the bleeding continues, replace the gauze with a moist tea bag and bite down. If the bleeding becomes severe, call your oral surgeon's office.
• Swelling. The site of the tooth removal may swell. Avoid laying down to help control the swelling. 
• Dry lips. Use Vaseline to help relieve your dry lips.

Activities to Avoid

Do not suck on a straw in the first few days after your recovery. Sucking on a straw can rupture the blood clot and cause bleeding (or more serious problems) at the site of the surgery. In addition, avoid smoking during this time. Like sucking on a straw, smoking is similar produces a negative pressure in your mouth and could cause your clot to rupture.

Place Ice Over the Surgical Site

Place ice on the cheek or chin over the location where the tooth was extracted. This bag of ice may be a bag of peas, a cold compress or a bag of crushed ice placed inside a nylon stocking. Keep the ice on your face for 15 minutes at a stretch, and then remove the ice from the face for 15 minutes. Repeat as necessary to help control the swelling and reduce pain.

Your oral surgeon will give you instructions after your surgery, including instructions about pain medicine. Follow all instructions from your oral surgeon. When in doubt, call your oral surgeon's offices after the procedure. 

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