Healthy Fluids

Wisdom tooth extractions are not as scary as you think. What happens after the surgery is quite normal for any tooth extraction surgery. Here is a preview of what you can expect after a wisdom tooth extraction in Washington DC.

Post-Operation Management

A patient who has undergone a wisdom tooth extraction usually has four primary post-operation concerns: pain, bleeding, bruising, and swelling. Some patients may experience all, while a very small percentage may not experience any difficulty at all. Nevertheless, you should not panic if you experience any of them as dentists normally prescribe medications, and give instructions for managing these concerns.

Pain is relieved with over-the-counter or prescription medicines, whichever is needed, and safe for your condition. Stronger prescription painkillers may be needed for cases involving bone removal.

Bleeding is usually solved by replacing the gauze on the extraction area. Patients prone to gum bleeding are advised to wipe their saliva, or bite on a piece of cloth instead, so as to avoid dislodging the forming blood clot.

Bruising and swelling normally disappear on their own within three days, although bruising can also last for more than a week. To speed up recovery, apply an ice pack over the area for 15 minutes. Swelling that does not seem to subside after three days is often a valid medical concern.

Activities

Since Washington DC wisdom teeth extractions are an outpatient procedure, you are only advised to take a complete rest (preferably by lying down to avoid bleeding) within the day. You can go back to work, and your other regular routines after just 24 hours, but you should try to avoid any strenuous physical activity until the extraction area is completely healed, usually after one week. In particular, activities that require pulling and stretching should be avoided. Running and jogging are also known to induce gum bleeding, so opt for brisk walking instead.

Avoid drinking beverages containing caffeine and alcohol for 24 hours as they can interfere with the healing process. Drinks that are too cold or too hot should also be avoided until you no longer feel any pain because they are known to trigger pain attacks. As much as possible, stay away from drinking straws as sucking can remove the forming blood clots in your gum tissue. With that in mind, remember that smoking also poses the same threat.

Avoid eating solid foods, both hard and gummy, until 24 hours later, although you can maintain a semi-solid diet for a week, if you are not comfortable when chewing and biting. Any foods that may stick between your teeth, and have spicy flavors should also be avoided.

A semi-solid diet normally includes soups, smoothies, yogurts, and oats. Acidic foods may give you discomfort, so avoid adding citrus fruits in your soups and smoothies.

It might seem unfair but some people are more prone to tooth decay than others, even if everyone undergos the same tooth cleaning routine every single day. There are factors in your mouth and teeth that contribute to the decay. Knowing these factors can help you determine how to better prevent this unwanted condition.

Saliva not only helps digest, and wash food particles away; it also keeps plaque from sticking to your teeth. A dry mouth makes the teeth more prone to decay. Dry mouth is a symptom common to those afflicted with Sjogren's syndrome. It affects the saliva glands, producing a lower amount of saliva.

Enamel Thickness

Some people have thicker teeth enamel than others, making them less prone to tooth decay because the cavity will take longer to break through. Tooth enamel is the hardest part of the human body, and is the tooth's primary defense from cavities. The more of it you have, the less likely you are to have cavities.

Shape and Size of Teeth

Large teeth that have shallower, and less grooves, are less prone to cavity formation, compared to small teeth that have deeper, and more pits. Pits and grooves on the teeth are places for plaque to build-up, and they are also more difficult to brush or clean thoroughly. This factor is genetically predetermined so those born with small teeth. These people need to put forth more effort in cleaning their teeth, and should also make more frequent visits to their dentists in Annapolis, Maryland.

Tooth Eruption Sequence

You are more prone to tooth decay if your permanent teeth have appeared early in life, because you may not have developed good oral hygiene at that point in time. That is why it is important to take care of baby teeth so they stay longer, and let the permanent teeth grow later in life. Teaching proper oral hygiene to toddlers also makes sure that they carry-on with the habit as they get older.

Tooth Bite and Position

Overlapping, crooked teeth are harder to clean, thus providing more areas for food particles to accumulate, and build-up plaque. More plaque means greater risk for tooth decay. This condition also leads to an abnormal bite, wherein the teeth grind against each other, leading to an early wear on the teeth enamel. When the enamel is destroyed, dentin, the tooth's next layer, is exposed. Since this layer is significantly softer than enamel, it does not provide much protection to prevent the cavity from going through the tooth's interior.

A visit to the dentist can help determine if you have these risk factors. An abnormal bite, for example, can be corrected through orthodontics, while the effects of the other factors can be minimized through a better cleaning routine.

Can you imagine what life must have been like back in the nineteenth century when it came to cosmetic procedures? Cosmetic surgery, the kind we experience today, was something doctors were thinking about - as a concept. Cosmetic dentistry, at least at that time, was almost non-existent. Dentures, which could only be afforded by the wealthy, were made of wood; with teeth carved from bone or hippopotamus ivory.

How would you feel knowing your "teeth," may have been a part of someone's femur? Luckily for us, we do not have to worry about having to deal with those options. What gets lost in this new world of cosmetic dentistry is that, although we refer to it as "cosmetic," the truth is your oral health is dependent on how well you take care of your teeth - even if you do not have any teeth at all!

See, whenever teeth go missing, the jaw bone immediately begins to lose its density. Even if you have only one tooth missing, this can can have an adverse affect on all the teeth that "live" on that part of your jaw. Your teeth are all connected, with nerve endings, to the body; this is how your teeth are pumped nutrients on a regular basis, to stay healthy and strong.

Once those nerve endings become infected, due to lack of oral hygiene, or poor diet, then the tooth begins to die. Once a tooth is dead, it needs to be pulled, or you run the risk of infecting your gums. Have you ever heard of someone living with a dead tooth in their mouth? You would be hard-pressed to find someone with that issue today, but it was till pretty common in the early eighties. People with a dead tooth would always have a bad odor coming out of their mouth - they simply could not help it. Decay stinks - bottom line.

This is why maintaining a regular check-up with your dentist is so important. Once you begin losing teeth, with no plans to replace them, you are walking down a path of pain. Today, implants are the best way to replace a missing tooth; and do so with something that works almost as well as the original tooth.

For many patients residing in Colorado Springs, they know how awesome implants are; having had treatment from one of the Tooth Implant Pros. The Pros bring patients, in need of treatment, together with dental implant specialists, to create this great synergy that results in a perfect win-win scenario. The dentist has a new case they can put on their books, and the patient has the smile truly desired.

Well, for the residents of Colorado Springs, the Pros have now opened up a new location there as well. If you are online searching for, "dental implants colorado springs," just know all you have to do is visit toothimplantcoloradosprings.com to learn how the Pros can help you get started towards your beautiful smile - today!