“Is a wisdom tooth extraction painful?”
I need to have my wisdom tooth extracted next week. Is this really painful?
5 Answers
Pain is managed with local or IV sedation. There should be no pain in the process of surgery. Although these procedures are often performed by a general dentist, I recommend you see an Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon for evaluation and recommendations/treatment.
Typically not. It will be sore for usually 3-4 days at the most. This is typically the worse about 24-36 hours after the surgery. Alternate with Ibuprofen and Tylenol after the surgery, ice to your cheek area the first 2 days, and take it easy!
I usually tell patients sore for a week and tender for two. A lot of factors weigh in. Surgeons technique, time to remove, difficulty of impaction
It shouldn't be painful. There are options for different types of anesthesia; general anesthesia, intravenous conscious sedation or local anesthesia. The oral surgeon will go over these options at your consultation appointment.
Everyone has a different pain threshold. Generally, your surgeon is gentle and meticulous, so you should not experience very much pain, especially if you follow instructions post-operatively. In our practice, we use platelets and L-PRF membranes that continue to release growth factors for 7-10 days. In addition, we use a minimally invasive surgical approach. We also administer long-lasting local anesthetic. Patients need to apply cold therapy for 2-3 days after their wisdom tooth surgery and then apply warm compresses over the jaw muscles. Patients also need to open their mouth 10-15 times over a 20 minute time frame and continue to repeat the opening and mouth stretching. And of course, pain medications and medications that reduce swelling are prescribed. Patients need to be on a very soft diet after the surgery and should not chew any hard food for ASICS weeks so the gum tissues can attach and seal behind the second molar roots. Rinsing with 3% Hydrogen peroxide twice daily will reduce bacteria and infection, and, if needed, oral or IV antibiotics may be needed. Of course, no sun exposure or exercise for 2 weeks.
