
Follow these instructions strictly to minimize discomfort, keep your mouth comfortable, and promote faster healing.
Follow your dentist’s aftercare instructionsĪfter the surgery, you’ll get a few aftercare instructions. Just make sure to avoid hot drinks and straws, as they can disturb the surgical site, leading to a painful dry socket. Proper hydration after a wisdom tooth extraction is essential to prevent a dry mouth, wash away debris, and keep your mouth comfortable. To do this, wrap some ice in a clean cloth or towel and place it on the jaw for 15 – 20 minutes. Relaxing before going to sleep will also help you sleep better.Īpplying a cold compress on the cheek against the extraction site can reduce swelling and pain and help you sleep better. Find comfortable bed accessories and keep your room cool and dark. Poor sleep conditions like too cold, hot, or bright environments can affect your ability to have a restful sleep. Keeping your head low can cause blood to flow toward the extraction area, leading to more bleeding, swelling, and discomfort, interrupting sleep. It’s essential to keep your head elevated above your heart to ensure blood flow downwards. Use a soft pillow to keep your head elevated when sleeping or resting. Notify your dentist or surgeon if the pain won’t settle or worsens even after taking medication. If you don’t have any prescribed medication, you can use over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Ensure you take all the medication as prescribed by your dentist to minimize pain and swelling and allow you to sleep better. The gauze can loosen and fall-back during sleep, blocking your airway.Īfter the anesthesia wears off, you will likely experience minor pain and swelling around the operation site. You must remove the gauze before sleeping to prevent choking. You should leave the gauze in place for at least 30 minutes or as long as necessary. Your surgeon will place a gauze to bite on to promote clot formation and control bleeding. This article provides eight tips to improve your sleep and comfort after having your wisdom tooth extraction: 8 Tips to sleep comfortably after wisdom teeth removalĪfter extracting the tooth, you can expect minor bleeding.
#Wisdom teeth removal should i sleep with gauze how to
If you’ve scheduled wisdom teeth removal surgery with a dentist near you, you might wonder how to minimize pain, improve your sleep, and speed up your recovery after the procedure. For these reasons, your dentist can recommend a tooth extraction. In most cases, impacted wisdom teeth can lead to mild to severe jaw pain, damage to the nearby teeth, poor bite, bone loss, and an increased risk of oral infections. It causes the tooth to get trapped under the gum line or grow at the wrong angle. In other cases, wisdom teeth may not have enough room to erupt as they should. Nowadays, some people may not develop all their wisdom teeth.
Due to changes in diet, our jaws have changed. Wisdom teeth are the molars that develop at the very back of the mouth. Each year, dentists extract about 10 million wisdom teeth in the US.