The 48 Hours After Your Wisdom Teeth Have Been Removed
If you need your wisdom teeth removed, you are in good company. The majority of people do not have room in their mouth for this third set of molars and must have them either pulled or surgically removed, as a result. It is fairly common for people to have this done in their late teens while many adults that do not find themselves uncomfortable and needing to have them taken out until they are older. Ironically, these teeth can continue to grow with time so even if you made it through your twenties without irritation something like pregnancy can create the need for their removal.
Being Ready for Wisdom Tooth Extraction
If an individual's wisdom teeth break through the surface of the gums and are growing in straight, then the individual can simply have a dentist remove them through traditional dental methods. It is fairly easy, especially with sedation. Thanks to sedation, patients can remain comfortable during the entire procedure. Unfortunately, people have wisdom teeth that grow in sideways or impacted. These teeth may never break through the surface, or only a portion of them may show through. This can put additional pressure on the back molars as the teeth push them. For those that have had braces to straighten their teeth, this can create damage and undo some of the previous work that was done to perfect the spacing of teeth.
If a patient requires oral surgery to remove the wisdom teeth, it is important to understand what to expect in the 48 hours after the surgery. As a dentist, we will work to ensure we accurately complete the procedure while the patient is under sedation and can remain entirely comfortable. With that in mind, the patient will not have to worry about the procedure itself and can focus on the recovery afterward. Since the patient will still feel some effects of the sedation following the procedure, the patient will feel sleepy and generally out of it. As such, we recommend that the patient asks someone else to drive him or her home, to remain safe and avoid an accident. The most effective way to spend the recovery time is getting rest and relaxing at home.
Prepare for the recovery process
It helps to prepare one's home the night before by placing extra pillows onto the bed to recline on. We also suggest buying water bottles, ibuprofen and soft snacks like Jello cups that one can place on the nightstand. This way, the patient can continue to relax in bed and will not need to walk back and forth from the kitchen. It is also beneficial to have a friend or family member stay and help for the first 24 hours, that is preferable. Patients can also ice their face for 15 minutes at a time to keep the swelling down. Just be sure to rest the face for a full 15 minutes between icing. The discomfort should be greatly reduced by keeping the swelling under control.
IronHorse Family & Cosmetic Dentistry will also give you gauze when you leave so that you can use it control any bleeding. We may provide you with antibiotics to take as well so that you can prevent an infection from setting in. Otherwise, rinse with salt water after the first 24 hours to reduce the infection risk and keep your mouth clean.
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How we keep our patients and staff safe during the current Coronavirous (COVID-19) environment:
We wanted to reach out to all our patients and personally let you know that we remain committed to offering you the best and the safest care here at our office.
As the situation around novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we are doing everything we can to ensure your safety and provide you with the peace of mind that our office makes the health of our patients and team members our highest priority.
We take great pride in maintaining the highest standards of health safety and in response to the coronavirus, we have taken additional measures recommended by the global and local public health authorities (including the WHO and CDC) to screen every patient and guest that enters our facility. We are screening all guests and patients before every appointment and have adjusted our cancelation policy and fees. We want to assure you that our office has taken every precaution to maintain our patient’s health and safety.
Our office is equipped with multiple high efficiency air purifiers that kills bacteria, viruses and molds in the air throughout the entire office.
We use the AIRIUS Destratification Air sterilizer with Photohydroionization® (PHI) and a Broad spectrum 100-300 nm HE/UV™ ultraviolet disinfection unit. PHI is an advanced oxidation technology developed by RGF Environmental Group to minimize and neutralize indoor air pollutants such as bacteria, viruses, mold, gases (VOCs) and odors. Photohydroionization (PHI) cell emits advanced oxidation plasma (0.01 – 0.02 ppm). The fan circulates Hydro-Peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxide ions throughout the space, neutralizing more than 99 percent of micro-organisms. PHI utilizes a broad-spectrum, high intensity UV light targeted on a hydrated quad-metallic catalyst surface. This target surface is covered with a proprietary quad-metallic and hydrophilic coating. The UV light reacts with the catalyst and moisture to produce an advanced oxidation plasma consisting of hydro-peroxides, super oxide ions and hydroxide ions. These friendly oxidizers will revert back to oxygen and hydrogen once they’ve come in contact with and eliminated the pollutant.
These units create an aggressive advanced oxidation atmosphere to kill 99% of bacteria, viruses and mold in the air surrounding the unit.
Ionized-hydro-peroxides are very effective at destroying harmful microbials in the air and on surfaces. As oxidants, they do this by either destroying the microbe through a process known as cell lysing or by changing its molecular structure and rendering it harmless which is the case in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and odors.
Universities like Kansas State University and independent labs have tested these units and they found a 4-log reduction (99.99%) surface bacteria/virus reduction, a 97% airborne bacterial reduction, a 99% reductions of Ecoli, Listeria, Strep and Bird Flu, a 97% airborne mold reduction, a U.S. and International 99% reduction of Staph (MRSA) and they are approved by the USDA, FSIS and FDA.
As always, our office puts the health, safety, and well-being of our patients, employees, and communities at our highest priority. We continue to monitor this quickly evolving situation and are here to assist our patients as needed. Deep breaths and positive thoughts. We’re all in this together.