Holistically Katie

I know what you are thinking…aren’t you too old to be getting your wisdom teeth pulled?

Unfortunately- no. Regardless of age, there may come a time when these pesky teeth need to go. In my case, they didn’t start rearing their ugly heads and causing me problems until now, when I’m already in my late twenties.

On March 8th, 2024 I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. As you could imagine, I was very anxious about this surgery. I have never been put under before and would be IV sedated for the entire surgery. I was also concerned about the pain and healing process afterwards, but tried to take it one step at a time.

My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am on a Friday morning. My mom took me (you need someone to drive you home afterwards because the IV sedation makes you extremely loopy and out of it) and she sat in the waiting room while I went in. There was a surgeon in the room, an anesthesiologist and nurses. Everyone was extremely kind and comforting, which helped me ease my nerves. They got everything prepared, hooked me up to the machine, and next thing I knew I woke up with gauze in my mouth. It was over in a blink of an eye, and I didn’t even remember falling asleep. I was relieved the surgery was over, but also felt extremely tired and confused. I felt emotional oddly enough, and was crying immediately. My mom came in around then luckily and it made me feel better to see her! My mouth felt entirely numb.

I was wheeled out of the dentist and helped into the car. I took a look at myself in the car and wish I didn’t. It looked like I swallowed a golf ball! Once I got home, I fell asleep pretty much right away- I was exhausted from it all. I woke up two hours later, and the bleeding was much more controllable. It was still a very odd and uncomfortable feeling knowing that there were 4 large holes inside of your mouth that were bleeding. I controlled the bleeding with gauze and began icing my face. It looked like I was having an allergic reaction with all of the swelling and puffiness- not cute. I was prescribed anti-swelling meds, antibiotics, specific mouthwash and pain medication, of course. Opioids were prescribed, but I didn’t touch those. I began alternating Advil/Tylenol. I obviously was not super keen on taking antibiotics, but also knew how dreadful dry socket and infection can be for wisdom teeth, so decided to begin them to be safe.

My Healing Timeline

Day 1

I essentially spent the entire day relaxing, napping and taking it easy. I iced my face consistently and only drank cold liquid (smoothies) and soup. I drank a lot of water. I did not brush my teeth or even use the mouthwash.

Day 2

I woke up very swollen, even worse than Day 1. I am still taking my medication of course, icing my face, and drinking only smoothies. It is important to keep nutrition up to help your body heal, so I was making nourishing smoothies with banana, almond butter, yogurt, protein powder etc. I am still relaxing and not doing anything streneous. Engaging in heavy physical activity, lifting large objects, participating in any event that is too stressful, is simply not idea because your body is very much trying to heal itself.

Day 3

Still swollen–but it is looking better! I am still icing a this point, but not as much. I am getting back into some of my normal activities- light walking, taking Epsom baths, very light stretching. My diet is still only consisting of smoothies and soup–I’m still avoiding coffee at this point. I am also brushing my teeth (NOT the surgical sites) VERY gently and rinsing with the mouthwash twice a day. I rinse with salt water after every meal to ensure the area is staying clean.

Day 4

At this point, I am starting to feel like myself again. I am able to function again and am craving more mental stimulation. I spent time getting back to emails, reading and writing. I enjoy a meditation/red light session. I still have swelling and am starting to see some bruising around my jaw. My jaw area feels very tender. I have switched to heat on my face, which helps the swelling instead of the cold at this stage.

Day 5

I miss eating food! Up to this point, I have only consumed smoothies, soup, pudding, apple sauce and mashed potatoes. I am able to eat pasta for dinner and it is delictable. Chewing feels a bit strange, but I focus on taking small bites and chewing mainly with my front teeth. Pasta is still very soft, so it does not hurt my mouth. Still keeping up with the medication, mouth wash, salt water rinses, and taking it easy. I’m still on my medication but not taking as much pain medicine, as any pain feels completely tolerable. My swelling is nearly gone but I do have bruising around my jaw that is changing colors. This is a normal part of healing.

Day 6

I’m almost back to normal! Bruising is definitely coming through and my jaw is tender. I am working, taking walks, and eating again. I am still being very gentle with this process and monitoring my body and pain closely, but feeling a million times better and proud of my body!

Day 7

On this day, I had a follow up check-in with my oral surgeon. She told me the surgical sites look beautiful! I could not be more thrilled. She gives me a syringe and instructs me to clean the wisdom tooth surgical sites after eating to ensure food does not get stuck in there. I use the syringe gently after meals. In order to help the bruising and stiffness, my surgeon recommends incorporating jaw exercises and making sure I’m moving my jaw around and practicing mobility. I begin this practice and it helps the stiffness.

Day 8 And Beyond

I worked out again! My first workout back was a Peloton cycling class, which was glorious. I am able to drink an iced coffee (no straw) and have fajitas for dinner. The pain is pretty much non-existent, and I am doing regular jaw exercises to help with some of the remaining stiffness and soreness. I am so glad to be towards the end of the recovery phase and I’m proud of myself for biting the bullet and finally getting my teeth pulled!

Tips to prevent the dreaded D word

The biggest concern you may read about or hear about when it comes to Wisdom teeth is “dry socket.” Dry socket is a very painful complication from your wisdom teeth surgery, where essentially the blood clot that was supposed to form after removal is disloged or dissolved before the wound heals, exposing underlying bone and nerves. As you can imagine, it is extremely painful. Dry socket is complicated because it is easy to think that each uncomfortable or throbbing sensation after surgery is a dry socket, when in reality, it is likely just your body healing. As long as you follow your post-surgical instructions and focus on resting, you shouldn’t get a dry socket. If you do get a dry socket or suspect you have one, it is very important to contact your oral surgeon right away to get taken care of. The general sentiment I’ve heard about dry socket is that you’ll know if you have one- its that painful. To avoid constantly fixating on dry socket, I tried to follow my after-care instructions to a tee, I focused heavily on resting and just taking it easy. I also affirmed and reminded myself daily that my body was healing and everything was going according to plan. Lo and behold, no dry socket! I’m very grateful for my amazing surgeon and my family to support me through this process.

Final Thoughts

If you are nervous for this surgery and you have been putting it off, please know that I completely emphathize with you. I had been putting this surgery off for years and years. I started to get regular neck and jaw pain from my wisdom teeth growing in, and my oral surgeon said I was lucky to not have nerve damage. It is never going to be a ‘good’ time to get these teeth removed, but just know that you will come out on the other side of it. Your oral surgeon will make sure that you have the proper pre-op and post-op instructions to avoid dry socket and infection. The other thing is- try to quit the doom scrolling if you are worried about infection. I know the prospect of having dry socket is terrifying because of how painful it sounds, but if you are worried — be sure to contact your oral surgeon first and they will be happy to help you. Your oral surgeon knows your situation and case best, so rely on them for advice and help if you are worried. Trust in your bodys innate ability to heal and do amazing things!

Now that my surgery is about a month behind me and I look back on the experience of getting them out, I should not have put it off for as long as I did. The actual surgery was the easiest part– and even though the post-surgery healing was not the most pleasant, it was manageable for me. I followed my surgeons advice to a tee and just took it very easy. It was difficult to do because I obviously love being active, but during this time, it was more important to rest and let my body do its thing. And I’m so grateful I did. At this stage, I am focused on eating very healthy, taking lots of probiotics, collagen and vitamins to replenish my body and ensure consistent healing. I don’t really use the syringe unless I feel like something may be stuck, which isn’t often. The holes in my mouth are pretty much closed. Long story short– If you are getting your teeth pulled soon or you already got them out, just please trust your body and trust the process. You will be okay!!!