There are many beverages that dentists recommend you avoid after having a wisdom tooth removal, but tea is actually recommended as one of the first drinks you should consider after losing your wisdom teeth. Tea offers several medicinal benefits for those who are healing from a mouth injury like wisdom tooth surgery.
Wisdom tooth patients can drink cold or room temperature tea immediately after wisdom tooth extraction. Hot teas should be avoided until twenty-four to forty-eight hours after oral surgery. Placing tea bags on a wisdom tooth extraction site can prevent dry socket and help alleviate pain.
The good news is tea is one of the better choices you have when it comes to drinking after wisdom tooth removal, but certain ways of drinking it are better than others. Keep reading to learn more about the best teas to drink after wisdom tooth removal and how tea bags can speed up your healing process.
Drinking Tea After Wisdom Teeth Removal
It is considered safe to drink tea after a wisdom tooth removal since the botanical compounds in tea are naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial and won’t contaminate the surgical site.
The one caveat to drinking tea immediately after a wisdom tooth extraction is that hot liquids (including hot tea and hot coffee) should be avoided for twenty-four to forty-eight hours after a wisdom tooth removal.
The reason that hot beverages aren’t recommended the same day as a wisdom tooth removal is that applying heat to your wisdom tooth extraction site directly after surgery can increase inflammation and irritate the tooth socket. This increases the chances of a secondary infection, or a painful complication known as dry socket.
Good Types of Tea to Drink After Wisdom Tooth Removal
While black tea is a practical choice for drinking after wisdom tooth removal, there are several different herbal teas that are beneficial to those who have just undergone a wisdom tooth removal.
- Black tea: Black tea contains botanical compounds known as catechins that have antimicrobial effects and can help prevent the onset of secondary infections.
- Marshmallow root tea: Marshmallow root tea is ideal for reducing inflammation and also as a pain reliever. These qualities make it a practical option for drinking after a wisdom tooth removal.
- Peppermint tea: Peppermint tea is a useful option to drink if your wisdom tooth surgery anesthesia leaves you feeling nauseous. The eugenol in peppermint can help induce numbing of the surgery site and relieve pain, while the carvone and menthol in peppermint help to reduce post-surgery nausea.
- Licorice root tea: Another herbal tea with anti-inflammatory properties, licorice tea is good for reducing swelling and pain associated with wisdom tooth removal as well as helping prevent nausea.
- Fenugreek root tea: Fenugreek tea is often recommended to people for toothaches because it helps to relieve pain and inflammation. Fenugreek tea also has antibacterial properties that can help prevent secondary infection after a wisdom tooth removal.
No matter which tea you choose for your post-surgery drink, both black tea and herbal tea can be beneficial to drink after wisdom tooth removal.
When Can Tea Be Consumed After Wisdom Tooth Removal?
Cold or tepid tea can be consumed immediately after wisdom tooth removal. Hot teas should be avoided for the first day or so after having wisdom tooth removal. Tea bags can also be used to aid in wisdom tooth healing right after wisdom tooth extraction surgery.
Tips for Drinking Tea After Wisdom Tooth Removal
It’s a smart idea to drink tea after a wisdom tooth removal since it can help prevent infection as well as reducing some of the negative symptoms post-surgery, like pain and swelling. However, drinking tea in certain ways can help prevent complications and can make tea more effective as a medicinal drink.
Follow these tips to get the most out of drinking tea after a wisdom tooth removal:
- Don’t swish: It can be tempting to swish around a liquid in your mouth after a wisdom tooth extraction since the sensation can temporarily relieve pain. Swishing liquids around in your mouth after a tooth extraction can increase the chances of dry socket.
- Don’t use a straw. Drinking out of a straw is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to causes for dry socket and post-surgery complications after wisdom tooth removal. Instead, drink tea straight back and swallow right away to avoid complications with your wisdom tooth extraction site.
- Go with cold tea over hot tea. Even though it’s safe to consume hot teas after the first twenty-four hours after wisdom tooth removal, cold teas can be a better option for reducing inflammation and numbing pain.
- Save your tea bag. Placing a used tea bag over the extraction site during a wisdom tooth removal can help prevent infection and relieve pain.
Most of the risks of drinking after a wisdom tooth removal involve dealing with dry socket as a complication. Following the drinking tips above can help prevent complications like dry socket or a jaw infection.
Using Tea Bags After Wisdom Tooth Removal
Along with drinking tea after a wisdom tooth removal, another smart method for reducing pain and swelling is to use the damp tea bag. After a tea bag has been steeped, the tea bag can be placed over the wisdom tooth extraction site.
Tea bags offer the following advantages when applied after a wisdom tooth removal:
- Pain relief: Pain can be mild to severe after a wisdom tooth extraction depending on the difficulty of the extraction. While pain relievers like extra strength tylenol and ibuprofen can be effective, placing a moistened tea bag over the inflamed area is a more holistic method for reducing pain from a wisdom tooth removal.
- Anti-inflammatory properties: Used tea bags have anti-inflammatory properties that can decrease the amount of swelling associated with wisdom tooth removal.
- Absorption of blood and fluids: Wisdom tooth extraction sites can weep blood, pus, and other fluids after removal. A tea bag can help soak up some of this excess blood and keep the surgery site as clean as possible.
Apply a steeped and cooled tea bag to the wisdom tooth extraction site for twenty to thirty minutes after returning from surgery. New tea bags can be periodically applied after the initial application to help with pain and inflammation.
Other Tips For After Dental Procedures
Along with sipping your favorite beverage, if you take care of yourself, you’ll experience less discomfort and get back to your normal activities quickly. Here are some other things to help speed your recovery process after wisdom teeth removal surgery:
- Take any pain medication along with plenty of water according to your dentist’s recommendation.
- Don’t use a straw. The sucking motion can disturb how the blood clot forms around the surgical area.
- Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquids the night of surgery and as you are healing.
- Keep some cold packs on hand
- Moderate pain is normal, but if you’re in severe pain or experience excessive bleeding, contact your oral surgeon
- You eat solid foods, but stick to soft foods like apple sauce, cottage cheese and ice cream.
- Stay away from hard foods, crunchy foods, and alcoholic beverages for a few days
- In the event of nausea from the general anesthesia, sip on some ginger ale.
- After eating, gently swish warm water or warm salt water around your mouth to remove food particles
Tea Is A Smart Choice After Wisdom Tooth Removal
All hot drinks should be avoided in the first day or two after wisdom tooth removal. However, cold herbal or black teas and their steeped tea bags can make a big difference in how much pain and inflammation you experience post-surgery after a wisdom tooth extraction.
Talk to your oral surgeon for other tips, like eating soft foods for the first few days and avoiding irritating spicy foods and acidic drinks.
