Your child just had his or her wisdom teeth removed and must now begin the road to recovery. This process isn’t as bad as you may expect if your child takes proper care of his or her mouth to ensure that everything goes smoothly and painlessly.
First, make sure your child continues to bite on the provided gauze or a tea bag until the bleeding stops. To reduce swelling, place an ice pack in a thinly wrapped towel over the sore area for ten minutes and remove it for five minutes, repeating if necessary. For the first 24 hours, your child should get plenty of rest and avoid extraneous activities. Make sure he or she takes any prescribed medication as directed to reduce any pain. After 12 hours, your child will be able to gently rinse his or her mouth. Avoid brushing around the removal areas, and don’t use any toothpaste.
Eating right will help the mouth heal faster after wisdom tooth removal. Have your child begin with a diet of soft foods, such as soup or oatmeal and lots of high-protein liquids. Make sure to avoid hot liquids, as they may increase swelling. Once he or she is able to move on to solid foods, cut the food into small pieces to ease chewing. Chewing should be limited and avoided around the back of the mouth where the wisdom teeth have been removed.
With proper care, the mouth should heal in a few weeks. Call Van Dyke General and Implant Dentistry if there are any problems with the healing process.