You’ve had your wisdom teeth removed and now you’re wondering when you can use a straw. That’s understandable! The good news is that there are some guidelines to follow when using a straw after wisdom teeth removal.
It’s important to note that the risks of dehydration or infection increases as time goes on so it is best not to wait too long before following these steps:
Wait two days before using a straw. If you feel like your mouth is getting dry or if there’s any pain when drinking, then it may be time to use that straw!
Avoid squeezing the face with the jaws together while sucking through the straw for this first week of healing in order to avoid swelling and discomfort.
If there are no signs of infection after seven days, then gradually start incorporating more solid foods into your diet by carefully chewing them well as they go down your throat. This will allow you to practice swallowing without experiencing soreness from what was removed during surgery on consecutive days which can help make better progress towards normal eating habits again.
After about three weeks, patients should only need an occasional drink of be able to fully resume their normal eating habits.
With the wisdom teeth removed, it may take a little while for your mouth and jaw muscles to get back into shape so avoid biting down hard when chewing or talking until they do.
Avoid exercising too vigorously (including intense weightlifting), as this can cause injury to healing tissues in the neck and face that haven’t yet healed from surgery.
Don’t forget about taking care of yourself! Get enough sleep, keep stress levels under control through methods like meditation or yoga, drink plenty of water, maintain a healthy diet rich in protein and calcium sources such as dairy products, limit caffeine intake if you’re prone to headaches – all these will help speed up recovery time after surgery.
If you’ve been advised by your dentist to continue using a straw after surgery, please make sure it is the right size for oral use (read more about this below).
When can I start drinking from a straw again? This typically takes place when your jaw begins working normally and there’s no sign of inflammation around the surgical site, which happens within six weeks or so after wisdom tooth extraction.
After surgery, avoid biting down hard when chewing or talking until they do. Avoid exercising too vigorously – including intense weightlifting as this may cause injury to healing tissues in the neck and face that haven’t yet healed from surgery. Get enough sleep; keep stress levels under control.
While you will probably be able to use a straw after your surgery, it’s important that the size is appropriate for oral or nasal routes of administration.
If you are using an oral size straw and need some help with drinking from it while swallowing, try tilting your head back as far as possible when tipping up the glass so there’s more liquid in front of your mouth than behind. This way gravity can do its job helping you drink without spilling anything down into your throat which could cause choking if something goes wrong (read more about this below).
It’s important to drink a lot of fluids after surgery, and you may also want an oral or nasal straw as one way to help with your fluid intake.
If the tooth has been removed from the lower jaw (maxillary), then typically it is safe for patients to start using any type of straw approximately two weeks after their extraction procedure. If the tooth was extracted from the upper jaw (mandible) however, wait until three months post operatively before reintroducing any form of drinking through a straw into your diet. This is because when wisdom teeth are removed from this area there’s increased potential for injury to healing tissues in the neck and face that will need all of this time to heal.
If your surgery was performed in the lower jaw, then you will want a straw that bends or flexes so as not to damage any teeth on either side of it when trying to drink from it. If your extraction site is located in the upper jaw however, you can use any type of drinking device with minimal concern for damaging other teeth structures because there are no exposed roots where nerves and blood vessels reside.
What’s Wrong?
The most common complication following wisdom tooth removal involves diet restrictions and what we should eat post operative care (read more about this below). One major factor people don’t consider when they have their wisdom teeth removed is how long they’ll be unable to chew food this is a temporary condition.
Wisdom tooth removal surgery was performed in the lower jaw, then you’ll want a straw that bends or flexes so as not to damage any teeth on either side of it when trying to drink from it. If your extraction site is located in the upper jaw however, you can use any type of drinking device with minimal concern for damaging other teeth structures because there are no exposed roots where nerves and blood vessels reside.
