When most people think of the dentist, they tend to groan and think of how they’d rather be doing anything else when it comes to sitting back in the dentist chair. But, they are quite important for oral care, so you keep going.

Once you grow older, you realize there are more difficult things about doing to the dentist such as root canals, having teeth pulled, braces, and having your wisdom teeth removed. Just about every oral practitioner in the world recommends having your wisdom teeth removed at some point, so chances are it’s coming to you next.

If you know you’re going to have your wisdom teeth removed soon or are preparing for surgery, there are few steps you can take in order to make sure that the process goes as smooth as you can and recovery goes just as well.

Plan Your Recovery Ahead of Time

You wouldn’t show up to work on the day of a big presentation, clap your hands together, and say “Alright everyone, let’s start planning this out!”

You shouldn’t arrive home after your wisdom teeth surgery and start thinking about what you can do in order to have a happy recovery.

Stock the fridge with plenty of food that you can have, not straying far from your liquid diet. Have some smoothies lying around and make sure you have plenty of canned soups available as well. But whatever you do, DO NOT use a straw and suck anything up. That’s going to increase the pain and make the overall experience worse.

Another drink you can try is coconut water, which is filled with plenty of natural nutrients that will help give you energy and keep you alert and awake. It might be a while before you can start eating soft foods again, so be sure and keep your body replenished.

Grab some ice bags ahead of time to keep swelling down and lessen pain. For the best tips, check in with your dentist at bestdentistinhouston.com.

Find Someone to Come With You

Someone is going to have to join you on this adventure of a lifetime and you need to make sure that person can take you to the surgery location as well as home.

If you think you’ll be coherent enough to call an Uber or Lyft, forget about that. Just to see how incoherent people are, go to YouTube and type in “wisdom teeth aftermath” and see the ridiculous things people say.

Get Rest

Recovery is different for everyone, but you’re definitely going to be out of it for a few days. While the average time is about 2-3 days, some people may take a full week to feel like they’ve fully recovered.

Take time to lay in bed and curl up with your favorite Netflix series. Don’t try to do anything overly physical and keep from exercising for a few days. Lay in bed with your upper body elevated by pillows and try not to twist around too much in bed. Even though it might be frustrating to be inactive, it’s the best decision for your long-term health.

Rinse Out Your Mouth

Don’t go gargling mouthwash, but the easiest trick is gargling salt water. Make sure it’s warm water with just a bit of salt in it.

You’ll want to make sure you’re repeating this process a few times a day and especially after you’ve finished eating and drinking. Sometimes, food particles can get stuck or lodged in the sockets causing more discomfort or even infection. With rinsing your mouth out, you’ll be able to remove any leftover debris and give your mouth a nice and clean feeling.

Treat Your Mouth Like a Spa

Besides rinsing out your mouth, there are other techniques to alleviate pain and help speed up recovery. Make sure you’re keeping your mouth from getting overly dry, as that will eventually lead to dry sockets.

Be sure to breathe in and out of your mouth, even if it’s uncomfortable. Breathing through your nose can make your mouth dry out faster.

In addition, lightly massage the outer parts of your jaw and cheeks to help with the pain. You might be holding on to a lot of tension in this area and massaging that area is a way to relieve tension and get back to chewing real foods once again.