Can you drink water before wisdom teeth removal?
By
Dr Shivam Jha
This blogpost will answer the question Can you drink water before wisdom teeth removal? And will include the following topics: Why is it done?
Problems with impacted wisdom teeth
Preparing for Wisdom Tooth Surgery
Preventing future dental problems
Risks
What you can expect
When to call your dentist or surgeon
Results
7 Things You Should Know Before Your Dental Surgery
Can you drink water before wisdom teeth removal?
No, you cannot drink water before wisdom teeth removal. You are asked to fast for about 12 hours before the surgery. Fasting prevents the risk of aspiration (choking on food), risk of infections, preventing nausea and vomiting, and bowel interference,
Why is it done?
Wisdom teeth, also known as third molars, are the last permanent teeth that erupt from the gums. Between the ages of 17 and 25, these teeth normally develop. Some people don’t get wisdom teeth at all. Others have wisdom teeth that emerge naturally, exactly like their other molars, and create no issues.
Many people have impacted wisdom teeth, which are teeth that don’t have enough space to erupt or grow correctly in the mouth. Wisdom teeth that are impacted may only erupt partially or not at all.
An impacted wisdom tooth may:
Grow at an angle toward the next tooth (second molar)
Grow at an angle toward the back of the mouth
Wisdom teeth grow at a right angle to the other teeth, as though “lying down” within the jawbone.
Like other teeth, they can grow straight up or down, but they are restricted within the jawbone.
Problems with impacted wisdom teeth
You’ll likely need your impacted wisdom tooth pulled if it results in problems such as:
Pain
Trapping food and debris behind the wisdom tooth
Infection or gum disease (periodontal disease)
Tooth decay in a partially erupted wisdom tooth
Damage to a nearby tooth or surrounding bone
Development of a fluid-filled sac (cyst) around the wisdom tooth
Complications with orthodontic treatments to straighten other teeth
Preparing for Wisdom Tooth Surgery
Teens and young adults can prepare for surgery by following the guidelines listed below:
Before surgery, don’t eat or drink anything after midnight. This is for your own protection. Regurgitation and consequent blockage of your airway are risks of delivering anaesthetic on a “full stomach.” This is a really significant problem. Don’t take a chance.
Tell the truth about the over-the-counter and prescription drugs you’re using. Help your doctor in avoiding uncomfortable or dangerous anaesthetic interactions.
Be open and honest about your usage of recreational drugs and alcohol. Whether you believe it or not, a body that has been used to drugs and alcohol will create various obstacles. Help your doctor in preparing for this problem ahead of time.
Do not smoke for 12 hours prior to surgery. Better yet, just don’t smoke!
When you go home, stock up on the appropriate foods to eat. Ice cream, smoothies, mashed potatoes, and other soft meals are recommended.
You can’t drive yourself home! Your parent or guardian must stay in our office for the duration of your procedure.
Preventing future dental problems
Dental experts are divided on the benefit of removing impacted wisdom teeth that aren’t creating difficulties (asymptomatic).
With impacted wisdom teeth, it’s extremely difficult to predict future issues. Here’s why preventative extraction is a good idea:
Symptom-free wisdom teeth could still harbor disease.
If there isn’t enough space for the tooth to erupt, it’s often hard to get to it and clean it properly.
Serious complications with wisdom teeth happen less often in younger adults.
Older adults may experience difficulty with surgery and complications after surgery
Risks
The majority of wisdom teeth extractions do not cause long-term problems. Surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth, on the other hand, often involves creating an incision in the gum tissue and extracting bone. Complications can occur in rare cases and include:
When the post-surgical blood clot is lost from the surgical incision site, a painful dry socket or expose of bone occurs (socket)
Infection in the socket from bacteria or trapped food particles
Damage to nearby teeth, nerves, jawbone or sinuses
What you can expect
During the procedure
Depending on the anticipated complexity of the wisdom teeth extraction and your degree of comfort, your dentist or oral surgeon may employ one of three forms of anaesthetic. Among the possibilities are:
Local anesthesia
Local anaesthetic is given by one or more injections around the extraction site by the dentist or oral surgeon. Your dentist or surgeon will most likely apply a numbing agent to your gums before administering the injection. During the tooth extraction, you are conscious. Although there will be some pressure and movement, there should be no pain and discomfort.
Sedation anesthesia
An intravenous (IV) line in your arm must be used by your dentist or oral surgeon to administer sedative anaesthetic. During the surgery, sedation anaesthetic keeps you unconscious. You won’t be in any pain, and your recollection of the process will be minimal. Your gums will also be numbed with local anaesthetic.
General anesthesia.
You may be given general anaesthesia in certain scenarios. You may use an IV line in your arm or inhale medicine via your nose. After that, you’ll lose consciousness. Your medicines, respiration, temperature, fluids, and blood pressure are all continuously monitored by your surgical team. You won’t feel any discomfort and won’t remember anything about the process. To alleviate postoperative pain, local anaesthetic is also used.
During wisdom tooth extraction, your dentist or oral surgeon:
Makes an incision in the gum tissue to expose the tooth and bone
Removes bone that blocks access to the tooth root
Divides the tooth into sections if it’s easier to remove in pieces
Removes the tooth
Cleans the site of the removed tooth of any debris from the tooth or bone
Stitches the wound closed to promote healing, though this isn’t always necessary
Places gauze over the extraction site to control bleeding and to help a blood clot form
After the procedure
After the procedure, you’ll be brought to a recovery room if you’ve had sedation or general anaesthetic. If you receive local anaesthetic, you will most likely spend your recovery time in the dentist chair.
As you heal from your surgery, follow your dentist’s instructions on:
Bleeding
The first day following wisdom teeth removal, there may be some blood seeping. To avoid dislodging the blood clot from the socket, avoid spitting excessively. As advised by your dentist or oral surgeon, replace gauze over the extraction site.
Pain management
An over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), or a prescription pain reliever from your dentist or oral surgeon may be able to help you manage your discomfort. If bone has been removed during the treatment, prescription pain medication may be extremely beneficial. A cold pack across your jaw may also help to ease discomfort.
Swelling and bruising
As advised by your dentist or surgeon, use an ice pack. The swelling in your cheeks normally goes down after two or three days. Bruising might take many days to heal.
Activity
Plan to rest for the rest of the day after your procedure. The next day, resume regular activities, but for at least a week, avoid intense exercise that might cause the blood clot to fall out of the socket.
Beverages
After the procedure, drink plenty of water. In the first 24 hours, avoid alcoholic, caffeinated, carbonated, or hot beverages. For at least a week, avoid drinking with a straw since the sucking action may dislodge the blood clot from the socket.
Food
For the first 24 hours, eat only soft foods like yoghurt or applesauce. When you are able to handle semi soft meals, begin eating them. Hard, chewy, hot, or spicy foods should be avoided since they might become lodged in the socket and damage the wound.
Cleaning your mouth
During the first 24 hours following surgery, do not brush your teeth, rinse your mouth, spit, or use mouthwash. After the first 24 hours, you’ll usually be advised to wash your teeth again. Brush with care around the surgical site, and rinse your mouth gently with warm salt water every two hours and after meals for a week.
Tobacco use
If you smoke, abstain from doing so for at least 72 hours following surgery, and preferably longer. If you chew tobacco, wait at least a week before using it again. After oral surgery, using tobacco products might delay recovery and raise the risk of problems.
Stitches
It’s possible that your sutures will dissolve in a few weeks or that you won’t have any stitches at all. Make an appointment to have your sutures removed if they need to be removed.
When to call your dentist or surgeon
If you see any of the following signs or symptoms, which might signal an infection, nerve damage, or other significant problem, contact your dentist or oral surgeon right away:
Difficulty swallowing or breathing
Excessive bleeding
Fever
Severe pain not relieved by prescribed pain medications
Swelling that worsens after two or three days
A bad taste in your mouth not removed with salt water rinsing
Pus in or oozing from the socket
Persistent numbness or loss of feeling
Blood or pus in nasal discharge
Results
You probably won’t need a follow-up appointment after a wisdom tooth extraction if:
You don’t need stitches removed
No complications arose during the procedure
You don’t experience persistent problems, such as pain, swelling, numbness or bleeding — complications that might indicate infection, nerve damage or other problems
7 Things You Should Know Before Your Dental Surgery
Has your dentist scheduled you for oral surgery and you don’t know what to expect? Dental surgery is very common, but it can be intimidating if you’ve never had it before. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it so you know exactly what to expect.
Get someone else to drive you
If you are having surgery that needs sedation, such as anaesthesia or nitrous gas, you should not drive yourself home afterward. Request that a friend or family member drive you to and from your surgery as soon as you arrange your appointment.
You may need to fast
Unless you’re diabetic, your dentist will probably instruct you to fast for eight to twelve hours before dental surgery. This means no food or drink, not even water. Take your medicines as usual, but try to limit yourself to a little sip of water. Fasting reduces the chance of aspiration, an uncommon but critical possible anaesthetic complication that causes the lungs to fill with the contents of your stomach.
Plan on arriving early for your appointment
Make the day of your dental surgery less stressful by arriving at least 20 to 30 minutes early. That way you have plenty of time to fill out paperwork and ask any last-minute questions you may have before the surgery.
Stock up on soft, easy-to-chew food
prepare in advance to eat mushy dishes for a time. Prior to your procedure, pick up items like yoghurt, soup, and ice cream. Avoid eating any hard, crunchy foods for six to eight weeks after surgery, since they might irritate sensitive gums. You should also attempt to eat only things that are at room temperature. Because your mouth will still be numb, you may not detect that what you’re eating is extremely hot and will burn yourself. The same holds true with drinks. If you need a coffee fix, let it cool for a few minutes before drinking it.
Create a place at home to recuperate
Choose a comfortable spot to relax in advance, such as your bed, a chair, or a couch, where you will be able to rest once you get home from surgery. Take it easy as much as possible to allow your mouth to recover.
Avoid sucking
You must abstain from using straws or smoking cigarettes for at least three to five days after surgery. This is because it may dislodge the blood clot that developed at the operation site, resulting in a dry socket infection.
Use an ice pack and rinse with salt water
There may be inflammation around the surgical site after the procedure. Use an ice pack on the operation site for 15 minutes at a time to help decrease swelling and relieve discomfort. After 24 hours, begin washing your mouth four times a day and following meals with salt water made by combining 1/2 teaspoon of table salt and one cup of warm water.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Is it okay to drink water before wisdom teeth surgery?
No, you should not drink water before wisdom teeth surgery. In fact, your surgeon would ask you to fast for 8-12 hours before the surgery, unless you are diabetic which includes abstaining from water as well.
Can you drink cold water after surgery?
It is advised to wait for a few hours after the surgery before eating or drinking anything too cold or too hot until the anesthesia wears off. This is because anesthesia makes it difficult to judge the temperature of the food and you might end up hurting yourself.
What happens if you drink water before oral surgery?
If you drink water before an oral surgery, it can lead to a rare complication known as aspiration in which the content of the stomach can flow into the lungs.
Is wisdom tooth removal painful?
Wisdom tooth removal is an oral surgery which is done under either general or local anesthesia and sometimes even under sedation, hence you will not feel any pain or discomfort.
Can I eat after wisdom teeth removal?
Yes, you can eat after wisdom teeth removal after a few hours. And is is instructed to eat soft, mushy food for a few weeks to avoid any stress on the gums.
Other FAQs about Tooth Extraction that you may be interested in.
Does your throat hurt after wisdom teeth removal?
Bone spur after wisdom tooth extraction?
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