What You Should and Shouldn’t Buy For Your Wisdom Teeth Extraction

The day before my wisdom teeth surgery, I spent my afternoon gleefully strolling around Target obtaining all the necessary supplies. I was a jumbled mess of nerves, for this was my “real” surgical procedure and I had never done IV sedation before (Side note: I highly recommend this over the laughing gas if you don’t want to come out of surgery totally loopy.) 

For anyone who may have to get their wisdom teeth out soon, I will tell you this: It’s not that bad. My swelling lasted less than a week, I had no bruising, and the pain was manageable. In my week of discomfort, however, here’s what I learned is worth your money and what isn’t.

Ice Cubes

If you’re getting sedated, you may get instructions from your doctor not to eat or drink anything for at least six hours before the procedure. Having mine in the early afternoon, I accepted that my dinner the night before would be my last taste of hard, solid foods for the next week, so I indulged myself in some glorious shrimp scampi. That means I went well over six hours without eating or drinking and at times I found myself dehydrated. If this happens to you, try sucking on some ice cubes so that you get some hydration delivered to you more slowly. 

Ice Packs

After surgery, you’re going to want to put something cold on your face. You could go the old fashioned route with a bag full of ice cubes, but something I found to be much more effective is the Cryomax Cold Pack, or something similar. This cold pack can stay cold for up to eight hours and isn’t messy like a bag of ice. It comes with its own fleece adjustable support wrap that makes it more comfortable. My favorite part, the adjustable strap, allowed me to strap it onto my face while I watched “Law and Order: SVU.” The cold helped soothe any pain and the adjustable strap let me use my hands freely without having to hold it up to my face. Just remember to not leave it on for longer than 20 minutes at a time! 

Soup

This experience has certainly increased my appreciation for soup tenfold. Before this experience, it was beyond me why anyone would be willing to essentially drink their meal if they didn’t have to. Soup is a stape of post-wisdom teeth extraction cuisine, but the soup that was so perfect in every way is Campbell’s Well Yes! Sipping Soup. It’s like this soup is designed to be consumed after oral surgery. This soup comes in a container ideal for sipping, so no need to dirty another spoon. It takes only a minute to heat up and is portable, which is great for taking it up to your room to watch, you guessed it, “Law and Order: SVU.” The soup itself tastes great. I recommend the tomato basil and roasted red pepper and tomato. The Well Yes! brand is great because they use few ingredients, all non-GMO, and gives you 60% of your daily vegetables. This soup was perfect for keeping you full but not having any chunks in it that could potentially cause issues chewing. However, the chicken and stars flavor was great to dip your toe back into the water of solid foods. 

Snacks

While you are entitled to enjoy your fair share of ice cream after you get your wisdom teeth out, it’s important to still incorporate some healthy and lower-calorie snacks into your diet. I recommend mashed up avocado or banana, unsweetened applesauce with a pinch of cinnamon on the top, jello, and smoothies. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it! It’ll be just like eating avocado toast without the toast. 

• dentist