Can You Wear Retainers After Wisdom Teeth Removal? Yes Or No

You can wear retainers after wisdom teeth removal.

To maintain healthy tooth alignment, retainers are worn. They are typically provided following orthodontic therapy to maintain your bite after it has been adjusted.

Your teeth need a retainer, and failing to wear one even for one day can cause alignment issues. This is because it takes a few months to cure your bite, and you can only do it if you wear a retainer every day.

So the question is, can you wear retainers after wisdom teeth removal? Here is all the information you require in relation to that query.

About Wisdom Teeth

The wisdom tooth is the third and last molar, which is located at the back of both sides of the maxilla and mandible. It is the last tooth to grow out of the gum. They usually appear when a person is in his teens or early twenties. This tooth usually grows out without problem; However, sometimes, the tooth does not have enough space to explode normally, resulting in “impaction”.

Does Everyone Have Wisdom Teeth?

No, not everyone has wisdom teeth. Most adults naturally have four wisdom teeth, but about 15-20% never have at least one wisdom tooth. They will appear when you grow up, which is one of the reasons why they are related to wisdom: you will only get them when you are mature and “smarter”!

Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?

Anthropologists believe that our wisdom teeth were originally evolved to help our ancestors get the greatest benefits from their diet, including many coarse foods, such as leaves, roots, nuts and meat. Historically, our ancestors needed large and powerful jaws to chew these foods. Modern human jaws have evolved to be much smaller than our Neanderthal ancestors, which means that for many of us, such teeth are simply not suitable for us.

For thousands of years, our diet has undergone great changes, including more soft foods that don’t wear our teeth so much, and our wisdom teeth are no longer necessary for our survival. In fact, this tooth is now so redundant that evolutionary biologists think it is a “degenerate organ”, which means that due to evolution, it has no function at all now.

Wisdom tooth retainer

The Symptoms Of Wisdom Teeth

There are many signs that your wisdom teeth are going to bite your gums. This includes:

Gum pain, redness, or softness

Persistent pain or bleeding in the mouth

Difficulty in opening and swallowing

Sinus and respiratory challenges

Halitosis

When Wear A Retainer After Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

The retainer can be safely used within 24 hours after wisdom tooth extraction; It will not affect the healing process. However, if you feel unwell, you can wait a few days or a week before using your braces.

However, it is best to start wearing retainers one day after the operation, because not wearing retainers may affect the treatment process.

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Is Retainer Harmful To Tooth Extraction Site?

After extraction, the surgical site becomes sensitive to touch.

Whether it’s solid food, sweet juice, tongue, fingers, or anything else, you need to avoid any complex taste that may inflame your mouth for at least a day or more, so that the wound heals normally.

Speaking of retainers, because retainers cover teeth and molars, if they are worn immediately after extraction, it may cause some irritation to the surgical site.

Therefore, it is best to wait at least one day before wearing braces.

Retention Experience Injury After Wisdom Tooth Extraction

If you pull out two or more wisdom teeth, you may feel the surgical site irritated. If you wear retainers, this stimulation can cause severe pain.

Massaging your cheeks with ice may help alleviate the pain.

If the retainer is still painful within 2-3 days after tooth extraction, please see the surgeon as soon as possible to solve the problem.

When To Wear Invisalign After Wisdom Tooth Extraction?

Invisalign is a dental appliance similar to a retainer, which should be avoided at least 24 hours after wisdom tooth extraction.

However, it is wise to consult your surgeon. Because Invisalign works differently from the retainer, it may need a larger gap after tooth extraction.

What To Do If Wisdom Teeth Are Going To Grow?

Wisdom teeth take several weeks to completely fall off.

During growth, it may cause severe pain and other complications. If you feel pain or anger when wearing the retainer, please consult your orthodontist and ask whether you should continue to wear the retainer.

If the newly grown wisdom tooth causes irritation when wearing the retainer, you can also ask the dentist to pull it out.

Conclusion

Following orthodontic treatment, retainers are crucial, and you must wear them as prescribed by your dentist every day.

However, if you’ve recently had a wisdom tooth extraction, you shouldn’t wear them for 24 hours to protect your operation site from any potential harm.

Therefore, to acquire adequate orthodontic treatment and achieve a beautiful smile, always continue wearing your retainer aside from the day following extraction.