Do you have an upcoming appointment to have your wisdom teeth removed? If so, you're likely wondering what is going to happen after the surgery is finished. Here is what you should be doing when recovering from your wisdom teeth extraction surgery. 

Be Gentle When Brushing

It's important that you don't completely neglect your oral health during the recovery process. However, you need to be careful when brushing around the extraction site for that first day. You can return to normal brushing on the second day, but be sure to take things slow so that you don't disrupt the surgical site. If you are rinsing out your mouth with water, you'll want to avoid a strong spitting action, which can put pressure on your extraction site and dislodge the blood clot. Instead, let the water just drip out of your mouth to be safe.

Don't Touch The Extraction Site

As tempting as it may be to touch the extraction site to see how it is feeling, it is best that you don't touch it at all. Once again, this poses a risk of dislodging any blood clots that are forming and can introduce bacteria from your fingers to the area. You are better off not touching it at all out of caution. 

Avoid Crunchy Foods

You should try to stay away from any foods that are crunchy during the days following your wisdom tooth extraction surgery. Crunchy foods can change position in your mouth and poke the extraction site, which will cause complications. Stick to soft foods so that you don't do anything that can aggravate the area that is healing. 

Take All Your Antibiotics

If you were given a prescription for antibiotics, it is so that you can fight off any potential infection. However, it is important that you take the entire prescription as directed, even if you are feeling better. A common mistake people make is that they stop taking the prescription, and then an infection forms because you did not give it the full dosage of the medication to make it go away.

Use Cold Packs For Swelling

If you have swelling in the surgical site area, you should make sure to use cold packs to deal with it. Hot temperatures are actually going to bring blood to the area and make the swelling worse. This is a situation where cold packs are best, but be sure to alternate with having them on and off the area to prevent it from getting too cold.