It may not feel like it, but having your wisdom teeth taken out is surgery. You’ve got to take some time to rest and let those wisdom teeth stitches heal.  And it’s up to you how easily you recover. If you take the proper care of your mouth, you’ll recover more quickly and easily. Since wisdom teeth extraction, here’s how to fend for yourself.

You’ll be under post-operative treatment immediately after surgery to ensure recovery from the symptoms of anesthesia and surgical trauma. You will be given a series of specific post-operative orders and a pain relief prescription when you wake up.

Post Wisdom Teeth Extraction Surgery Care

To minimize the healing and bleeding of your incisions, your blood needs to clot rapidly. The blood clot closes the sockets of the tooth and enables the start of healing. Without it, internal bone and nerve endings may be exposed, causing discomfort. You will be given gauze over the incisions to chomp down on. You should put constant, strong pressure on the gauze. Change this every thirty minutes for the first couple of hours if required. After this time, if bleeding has reduced, then the gauze should be removed.

It may take up to eight hours for a blood clot to completely form a protective layer over the spot. So, once the bleeding has stabilized, you could do as little as possible to disrupt the incisions. No gauze should be used after the first day, as it can bind to and possibly displace a barrier clot.

You do not brush your teeth or search the recovery area for the first 24 hours after surgery. Stop rinsing or other vigorous operation of the mouth. You’re not going to feel like moving your mouth, anyway, so this part should be quick. Refrain from some strenuous exercise. Stay away from the use of straws; drink a bottle instead. If you’re a smoker, you can wait at least 24 hours to get a cigarette, but probably even more!

Bleeding care post Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Bleeding after the loss of wisdom teeth is common, but should never be extreme. If bleeding is severe in the first hour or two of surgery, more pressure may need to be added to the site. Do not bite on the gauze with too much pressure, but apply constant, strong pressure directly to the area.

If bleeding complications continue, put a wet tea bag over the incision. Tea contains tannic acid that constricts the blood vessels and helps to avoid bleeding. Rest comfortably to stop bleeding. It is normal to taste blood or to see signs of blood in the saliva before the bleeding has stopped. You can stop using gauze after the flow ceases, normally about 8 hours after surgery.

How are Wisdom Teeth Stitches Removed? 

Here are some frequently asked questions about wisdom teeth stitches removal. 

An anaesthetic is not normally given

The method of removing stitches may be assumed to be very painless. And because that’s the practice, it’s uncommon for a dentist to offer an anesthetic beforehand.

The place will be washed with an antiseptic

As a first move, the dentist can clean the tissue in the area where the stitches have been placed.

If available and practical, they can dab or wipe the area with a piece of gauze that has been moistened with a hydrogen peroxide solution. (3 percent hydrogen peroxide split with sterile water by 50:50) Or they can make their patient swish with a hydrogen peroxide solution or another antibacterial rinse. Although this move is commonly considered to be the best technique, its efficacy in avoiding the entry of bacteria into your wound, and hence the need to do so, is uncertain.

The suture would have to be lifted

Because your dentist will need to remove the suture thread, they will first need to lift your stitch off the tissue on which they sit, high enough that there is space for the tip of their scissors. They’re probably going to use a pair of cotton tongs (dental tweezers) for this job.

The fabric of the suture is clipped

Using a pair of fine-tuned scissors, the dentist will remove the elevated suture. They’ll clip the thread down close to the surface of your gums instead of right in the center.  (Doing this minimizes the length of infected suture rope that would eventually need to be drawn through your tissues.)

The suture has been taken out

Now cut, your dentist’s going to take the free end of the thread with his cotton pins and pull it out of your gum tissue.

• They’ll make sure they grab the end that has the node with the stitch, making sure it’s not the end of the node that’s twisted (ripped) through the tissues.
• The motion they’re going to use is a slow, gentle tug. The loose end of the thread is going to tug through your gums very quickly.
• They’re going to tug in the direction of the wound when they pull. (Pulling up or away from the wound can put a strain on it, which can result in it being reopened.)
• Your dentist can further favor your wound by supporting it with your fingers, gauze, or dental instruments as they pull out the suture string.

This process is repeated until all the sutures have been extracted

In the case of interrupted stitches (those which are separately located and bound off), the above measures shall be repeated for each stitch that remains to be removed. As described above, the intention is often to pull as little suture thread as possible through your tissues. Thus, in the case of continuous sutures (a sequence of stitches tied together by a single knot), each loop will be cut separately, and the segment will be removed.

The region is then washed again with an antiseptic

When all the stitches have been taken, there might be a few drops of blood from where they have been extracted. Or there may be a loose dental plaque or residue beneath which is now visible. So, as an additional tidy up, and as above, your dentist can swab the place, or ask you to rinse.

Precautions to be taken after Wisdom Tooth Stitches Removal

• The wound left behind by your stitches

Of course, after the stitches have been washed, there will be some small gaps left in your gum tissue. The amount of bleeding associated with these openings should be limited and easily managed. The minor wounds should be of no inconvenience or concern. There should be no particular discomfort associated with them. Since the form of fresh lesion left behind is so small, no special measures are needed for these openings and they can be assumed to recover easily.

• Note, you haven’t been completely recovered yet

You must realize that even though the stitches have been removed, the surgical site has not yet finished the healing process. It will take at least 4 to 5 weeks of recovery before the gum tissue has reconnected as tightly as the adjacent tissues to the underlying bone. So, in the meantime, you must continue to favor and take care of the surgical region while the healing process begins.

Conclusion

After a few days of recovery, the level of pain and movement can eventually return to normal. Do your best to restore daily behavior at your comfort level (brushing, eating, exercising). Don’t rush something while you’re already in the recovery process. So the more you can restore normal life, the faster you can recover and feel better.

Start steadily in the resumption of exercise. Bear in mind that dizziness can occur on the first days of recovery, particularly after vigorous exercise or when shifting from lying to standing posture.

Also Read: Wisdom Teeth: Can They Grow Back After Extraction?