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Medical Video: Patient Walk-through of Wisdom Teeth Extraction | Boston Children's Hospital
As the name implies, your permanent teeth will have a lifetime. But there are a number of reasons in the middle of the road that make doctors feel the need to do a tooth extraction operation on one (or more) of your teeth that has a problem. Either it might be due to tooth decay that is too severe, an infection that attacks the teeth, to tidy up the tooth strips that are too stuffy before braces are attached.
Surgery to pull teeth seems scary, but the actual process is quite simple and fairly short. Unfortunately, improper planning before extracting teeth can lead to slow recovery and other more severe dental health issues.
Use this guide to prepare before a tooth extraction operation to have a short, stress-free recovery time.
What should be prepared before removing the teeth?
If the tooth is extracted only normal adult teeth, not much you need to do. Most single tooth extractions are carried out under local anesthesia because the effects are minimal. But if you are nervous or the doctor has to remove more than one tooth at a time, you may be given oral sedatives or general anesthesia.
1. Invite a close friend, family member, or partner
Invite someone to accompany you to go and return from the doctor's place, and ask him to come into the room or wait outside during your surgery. No, they are not here for you to face the fear of surgery (although it doesn't matter, if it really is), but rather be your personal driver for that one day.
Dizziness, nausea and jazzed is a common side effect of anesthesia, so depending on the type of anesthesia used and how many teeth you need to remove, you may not be in full strength and awareness to drive the vehicle properly after removing the teeth. Driving by taxi or other passenger service providers is also not recommended.
2. Which may and may not be consumed
Generally, you are advised not to eat and drink (including water) for eight hours to 12 hours before surgery, but it is your doctor who will ensure how long the fasting time is needed for your case. Ideally, you can no longer drink or eat anything after midnight.
If you are going to use local anesthesia, you can eat snacks or hungry snack snacks 1-2 hours before surgery. Brush your teeth, rinse and floss your teeth before going to the doctor. Don't smoke within 12 hours before removing the tooth - and at least 24 hours after removing the tooth.
If you have diabetes or are taking other prescription drugs (including antibiotics prescribed by your dentist to treat the infection you currently have), continue using it as usual. Consult this further with your doctor.
3. Wear casual clothes
Wear loose, comfortable short-sleeved clothes to go to the doctor on the day of the tooth pull. Even though your doctor and staff will do their best to prevent tarnishing your clothes, consider wearing something that you won't mind if damaged or tarnished. Don't wear jewelry because you will be asked to take it off before the procedure starts.
Avoid wearing contact lenses, because your eyes may remain closed during the procedure. Try not to wear make-up, lipstick or contact lenses. However, it may bring a moisturizer to the lips, such as lip balm, because your lips may become dry and cracked after surgery.
4. Prepare food for after surgery
Most likely you will experience pain and mild swelling after the tooth is removed. This can reduce appetite, but you still need to get the right nutrition for an optimal healing period.
Avoid eating hard, sour and spicy foods that can irritate the gums. Also, if your surgery includes the installation of dentures on the same day, you must protect your new teeth by eating soft foods - such as cream soup, jelly, pudding, oatmeal, or porridge.
Also consume drinks that contain high nutritional value such as juices, smoothies, or protein shakes that are easy to mix. This healthy drink provides a high intake of vitamins and minerals that the body needs to stay fit during the recovery period.
But, do not use a straw to drink your drink, especially after removing your teeth. Sucking a straw can cause a condition called dry socket, which will cause very painful complications so you have to go back to the dentist for treatment.
