Because wisdom teeth removal surgery can affect a patient’s diet and requires rest for the healing to begin, most patients take two to three days off work. One of those days off is for the surgery and then the patient should rest comfortably at their home for another day or two. After about a day, it should be no problem for the patient to return to their normal routine. Of course, it’s entirely up to the patient how long they’d like to take off, especially if they have a job that can be more intense than the traditional office setting. Typically, the usual recovery time for patients is about three days to a week – it all depends on how many wisdom teeth were removed and how severely they were impacted.

If the wisdom teeth aren’t causing any pain, it’s possible they may not need to be removed. However, the only way to know for sure is for patients to schedule a consultation at our office. At this consultation, Drs. Emery, Retana, and DiFabio can use X-rays and other technology to see how the wisdom teeth look inside the gums. If the wisdom teeth are impacted or don’t appear to have enough room to emerge, our doctors will recommend their removal, even if the patient isn’t currently experiencing pain. Usually, it’s only a matter of time before pain, tooth damage, and infection start to plague the patient’s mouth. It’s much better to be proactive about wisdom teeth removal, as it can help patients avoid experiencing uncomfortable symptoms.

Generally, it is best to have all the wisdom teeth removed at once. That way the patient only has to deal with one surgery and one recovery period. Because the patient will only have to schedule one operative appointment at our office and undergo sedation one time, a one-time removal can be far cheaper than multiple sessions. What’s more, the recovery time for wisdom teeth removal is the same whether the patient has one tooth or all four teeth extracted. Having them all done in one session can eliminate the number of days a patient needs to take off work or school. Additionally, patients will only need to go on soft food or liquid diet one time, which can often be a struggle as well.

The main reason humans no longer have room for wisdom teeth is that our diets have changed. Early humans ate very course diets with high fiber content that was difficult to chew. This tough diet meant we needed very strong jaw muscles to grind and crush this tough diet. As we developed as children, our jaws responded and were larger in the molar areas. If we look at the jaws of early humans, you rarely see impacted teeth. You also do not see many cavities as we also did not have processed sugars. This meant early men did not usually get cavities. As our diets have gotten softer and less fibrous, our jaws have gotten smaller. This means those third molars don’t have any room to move into the jaw. It is too small. The only solution for our patients is to have them removed.

There are plenty of foods for patients to eat after their wisdom teeth extraction at our office. For the first couple of days, patients will want to avoid hard or crunchy foods, as well as chewing in the back of their mouth. They should stick to soft or liquid foods only so that their mouth has time to heal. Some of the best foods include:

• Soup or broth especially blended soups like tomato or pumpkin. It’s important that the soup isn’t too hot or else it could cause irritation.
• Greek yogurt, as it’s packed with protein and vitamins.
• Ice cream, as the coolness can feel great on the mouth.
• Smoothies, as they’re a great way to get nutrients.
• Mashed fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes, bananas, apples, or pumpkins.