Wisdom teeth begin to form between the ages of 17 and 25. Adults typically have 4 wisdom teeth, but the number can vary slightly from person to person.
Dentists often see patients that have wisdom teeth that cause them immense pain.
This occurs when the teeth develop as they often start to grow in the wrong direction. This will cause immense pain and will result in an extraction being needed.
Other patients may not have issues with their wisdom teeth or they may have slight pain only seen when brushing or eating certain foods.
Brushing Your Teeth After Extraction
The pain felt after extraction will vary from one person to the next. When immense pain is felt, it is never a good idea to halt brushing especially after extraction. This will not provide a proper oral environment that enhances the healing process.
When the mouth is healing, it is essential to brush your teeth. The biggest issue occurs during the first 24 hours after an extraction takes place.
- A blood clot, or scab, will form which stops the mouth from bleeding. This scab is easily removed from too much rinsing or even slight brushing. The utmost in caution must be given at this time to ensure the scab is never dislodged. Ideally, you should not rinse or brush the day of the extraction.
- After 24 hours, you can begin your normal brushing routine. Pay special attention to the area where the tooth was removed and brush very lightly.
- Mouthwash and rinse should be avoided when the mouth is healing as it can add additional sensitivity or pain.
Ask your dentist to provide any further information for brushing teeth after wisdom teeth extraction.
How To Brush With Wisdom Teeth
If a tooth is not extracted but is causing discomfort, you can still proceed to brush as normal.
In fact, wisdom teeth do not need to be brushed any differently than you currently brush.
If you want to ensure you are brushing right, follow these recommendations.
- Brushing should be done after each meal. This is done to ensure food particles never linger in the mouth and that any debris left on teeth is eliminated.
- Brushing for 2 minutes is the general recommendation given by dentists. This is done so that all of the four quadrants of the mouth are brushed for 30 seconds each. A brisk brushing is never recommended and may leave you with poor dental hygiene.
- Flossing is also recommended for any particles that have become stuck between your teeth. This should be done at least twice a day to see the best results.
Brushing can also be done with a variety of different brushes and motions. A few tips to help you get started are as follows:
- Use an electric toothbrush. While these brushes are more costly at first, they come with timers, sensitivity settings and other functionalities for enhanced cleaning and whitening. While not a necessity, electric toothbrushes will make your brushing much easier.
- There are water flossing tools that can be used. Studies have shown that flossing with water is more effective than its string counterpart and more comfortable.
- If you are feeling pain, you should brush with less pressure applied. Applying too much pressure when brushing may actually damage tooth enamel.
Conclusion
Brushing teeth after wisdom teeth growth or removal is a simple task.
By maintaining a proper dental cleaning schedule and brushing your teeth regularly, you will ensure that your dental hygiene is always maintained.
If pain exists that is too much to handle while brushing, this may indicate that an infection is present or an extraction is needed. At this time, a dentist visit is highly recommended.