Wisdom teeth, as the latest teeth in the human mouth, often bring people a lot of trouble. Due to the gradual reduction of modern human jaws, wisdom tooth eruption space is insufficient, resulting in wisdom tooth impacted situation is very common. Impacted wisdom teeth may not only cause pain, swelling and other uncomfortable symptoms, but also may lead to dental diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis. Therefore, many people will choose to have their wisdom teeth surgically removed to solve these problems. However, care after wisdom tooth surgery is crucial, and one of the common questions is: Can I brush my teeth after wisdom tooth surgery? Today, we will explore this question in detail.
The Characteristics of Wisdom Tooth Surgery
Wisdom tooth surgery, medically known as wisdom tooth extraction, is one of the most common procedures in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Wisdom tooth extraction is often more complicated than conventional tooth extraction. This is because the position of wisdom teeth is relatively special, usually located in the most inner part of the mouth, the operating space is limited, and the root shape of wisdom teeth is changeable, there may be bending, bifurcation and other situations, which increases the difficulty of removal. During the procedure, doctors need to cut through the gums and remove part of the alveolar bone in order to remove the wisdom tooth completely. Therefore, the wound after wisdom tooth surgery is relatively large, and the recovery time is longer.
The Importance of Brushing Teeth
Under normal circumstances, brushing is the most basic way to keep your mouth clean. There are a lot of bacteria in our mouths, and these bacteria can mix with food debris and form plaque. If the plaque is not removed in time, it will continue to accumulate, and then cause dental caries, periodontitis and other oral diseases. Brushing can effectively remove plaque, food debris and soft dirt on the surface of teeth, reduce bacterial growth, and maintain oral health. However, after wisdom tooth surgery, due to the existence of the wound, brushing becomes no longer so simple.
The Harm of Brushing Immediately After Wisdom Tooth Surgery
After wisdom tooth surgery, blood clots can form at the wound. This blood clot plays a vital role in the healing of the wound. It can fill the wound, prevent bacteria from invading, and promote wound healing. If brushing is done immediately after surgery, the mechanical stimulation of the toothbrush and the impact of the water flow can easily destroy the blood clot at the wound. Once the clot breaks off, the wound is exposed to the oral environment, increasing the risk of infection and possibly leading to dry chutes. Dry slot is a common complication after wisdom tooth extraction, mainly characterized by severe wound pain and delayed healing. Therefore, in order to protect the blood clot at the wound, it is not recommended to brush teeth immediately after wisdom tooth surgery.
How long can you brush your teeth after wisdom tooth surgery
So, how long can you brush your teeth after wisdom tooth surgery? In general, doctors will advise patients to avoid brushing and gargling for 24 hours after wisdom tooth surgery. This is because in the first 24 hours after surgery, the blood clot at the wound is not stable enough, and brushing and rinsing can easily cause the blood clot to fall off. After 24 hours, the blood clot begins to gradually mechanize and is relatively stable, at which time you can begin to gently brush your teeth. However, it should be noted that brushing should avoid the surgical wound site and only clean other teeth. In the 3-5 days after the operation, the brushing action must be gentle, use a soft toothbrush, use vertical brush method, avoid horizontal brush, so as not to damage the wound. With the gradual healing of the wound, about a week after the operation, if the wound has no obvious pain, redness and other abnormal conditions, you can gradually return to normal brushing, but you should still be careful not to over-stimulate the wound.
The Correct Way to Brush Teeth After Wisdom Tooth Surgery
Choose the right toothbrush: After wisdom tooth surgery, you should choose a soft-bristled toothbrush. The bristles of the soft toothbrush are soft and less irritating to the teeth and gums, which can reduce the damage to the wound when brushing. There are soft-bristled toothbrushes on the market that are specifically designed for use after oral surgery, and their brush heads are usually small and easy to handle inside the mouth.
Control the intensity of brushing: when brushing your teeth, you should master the intensity and do not exert too much force. The toothbrush can be gently placed on the surface of the tooth and the brushing action can be carried out with gentle pressure. The intensity of brushing should be able to clean the surface of the tooth plaque and food debris is appropriate to avoid unnecessary stimulation of the wound.
Use the right brushing method: The Pap method is recommended. The specific operation method is: the toothbrush and the tooth at a 45 degree Angle, so that the bristles part into the gum line, part of the gum spread, as far as possible into the adjacent space. Then, with gentle pressure, the bristles are vibrated in the position for a short distance in the front and back direction, 4-5 times each time, and the toothbrush moves about 1 mm when vibrating, brushing only 2-3 teeth each time, and then the toothbrush is moved to the next set of teeth. In this way, the lip (cheek), tongue and occlusal surfaces of the teeth are cleaned in turn. When brushing after wisdom tooth surgery, take special care to avoid the surgical wound and clean only all sides of the other teeth.
Pay attention to the order of brushing: When brushing after wisdom tooth surgery, you should first clean the teeth away from the surgical wound. Generally, you can brush the upper teeth first, and then brush the lower teeth; Brush the outer teeth first, then the inner teeth and the occlusal surface. This can avoid accidentally touching the surgical wound during the brushing process.
Precautions for brushing teeth after wisdom tooth surgery
Avoid using alcohol-based mouthwash: Many people use mouthwash to help clean their mouth after wisdom tooth surgery. It is important to note that alcohol-based mouthwashes should be avoided. Alcohol-based mouthwash has a strong irritant, may irritate the wound, cause pain, is not conducive to wound healing. You can choose to use a special, alcohol-free mouthwash recommended by your doctor and gently swish it after brushing to further clean your mouth and reduce bacterial growth.
Observe the wound: In the process of brushing teeth, it is necessary to closely observe the condition of the surgical wound. If the wound is found to have bleeding, redness, pain and other abnormal conditions, should immediately stop brushing, and timely medical treatment. At the same time, during the recovery period after surgery, it is also necessary to pay attention to the healing of the wound and report to the doctor in time if there is any abnormality.
Keep the mouth moist: After wisdom tooth surgery, keeping the mouth moist helps the wound heal. You can drink more water to avoid excessive dry mouth. In addition, artificial saliva can also be used to relieve the symptoms of dry mouth, but be careful to use it as recommended by your doctor.
Pay attention to diet: The diet after wisdom tooth surgery will also affect the wound healing and brushing effect. In the short term after surgery, should avoid eating spicy, irritating food, as well as hard, hot food, so as not to stimulate the wound. The diet should be based on light and easy to digest foods, such as porridge, noodles, chicken custard, etc. At the same time, pay attention to clean the mouth in time after eating to prevent food residue.
Handling of special cases
Slow wound healing: If the wound healing after wisdom tooth surgery is slow, if there is still obvious pain, redness and swelling for more than a week, or there is an exudate on the wound, the time to avoid brushing the wound should be extended, and timely return to the doctor. The doctor will treat the wound according to the specific situation, and may give local irrigation, application of medicine and other treatments to promote wound healing. In this case, be more careful when brushing your teeth and strictly follow your doctor’s recommendations.
Having other oral diseases: Brushing care after wisdom tooth surgery may be different if the patient has other oral diseases themselves, such as periodontitis, dental caries, etc. For patients with periodontitis, due to the relatively fragile periodontal tissue itself, more attention should be paid to the control of strength and methods when brushing teeth, and it may be necessary to cooperate with the doctor for periodontal treatment to promote the recovery of overall oral health. For patients with dental caries, dental caries should be treated in time to avoid the growth of oral bacteria due to dental caries, affecting the healing of wisdom tooth surgery wounds. When brushing your teeth, you should also pay attention to cleaning the caries to prevent food residue.
Conclusion
Brushing after wisdom tooth surgery is an issue that needs to be treated with caution. Patients should strictly follow the doctor’s advice, start brushing at the right time, and master the correct brushing methods and precautions. Through scientific nursing, it can effectively reduce the occurrence of complications, promote wound healing as soon as possible, and restore oral health. I hope this article can help you better understand the relevant knowledge of brushing after wisdom tooth surgery, and successfully go through the recovery period of wisdom tooth surgery.
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