When your third molar — a.k.a your wisdom tooth — grows, it can cause painful symptoms. Most of the time, dentists recommend tooth extraction to remove the wisdom tooth. While the socket is healing after the extraction, you’ll be restricted to a soft food and liquid diet to avoid complications. However, you could find food stuck in your wisdom tooth hole, be it soft or hard.
What to do when this happens? We’ll tell you in this blog.
How to Get Rid of Food Stuck in Your Wisdom Tooth Hole?
Don’t go in with your fingers or a sharp instrument when there’s food stuck in your wisdom tooth hole. This can result in a dislocated blood clot, leading to complications and interfering with the healing process. If you can’t access your dentist immediately, take out the stuck food carefully.
Below, there are some tips that could help:
- Rinsing With Saltwater Avoid rinsing your mouth in the first 24 hours following your wisdom tooth surgery. However, you can use salt water solution if food gets stuck in your wisdom tooth hole. Just ensure that you don’t swish aggressively or spit the saline water out.
- Using a Syringe Filled With Warm Water You can point the syringe to the required angle for directing water flow into the socket. To do so, grab a sterile syringe and fill it with warm water. Then, direct the water flow into the wisdom tooth hole by holding the syringe next to it. This will help gently dislodge the stuck food particle. You can use a spray bottle to try this technique, too; just remember to be careful and gentle.
- Taking Out the Water Flosser Before you try dislodging food with a water flosser, consult your dentist. Many dentists would suggest using the flosser a few weeks after the procedure. If they say it’s okay, proceed by putting the water flosser on a low setting. After that, you can direct the water stream towards food particles stuck in your wisdom tooth hole.
- Using Herbal Tea Using herbal tea is also effective in removing the stuck food from your wisdom tooth socket. You can use a warm herbal tea rinse, just like you would use a saltwater solution. Chamomile tea, green tea, and turmeric tea have anti-inflammatory properties that can help your wisdom tooth recovery. A word of advice: don’t swish or spit it out vigorously, or it could lead to complications.
- Bringing Out the Mouthwash Before you use mouthwash, ask your dentist if it’s okay. Usually, it’s recommended not to use mouthwash for the first-day post-surgery. If your dentist allows, go for a mild mouthwash. Rinse the socket carefully to get rid of stuck food debris. Again, don’t swish with force or spit it out.
What’s Next?
It’s not exactly the best thing to have food stuck in your wisdom tooth hole. Your dentist can recommend the best technique. Still, you can opt for any of the methods mentioned above — after consulting your dentist, of course. Our SIMA Family Dental team is here for guidance, consultations, and treatments. We aim to improve your oral health, and you can reach us at (281) 457-6444.