Do top wisdom teeth heal faster than bottom? (2023)

Do bottom or top wisdom teeth heal faster?

The lower wisdom teeth require more healing time because there is more jawbone density in the lower jaw. There are cases in which 10 days may not be sufficient healing time, such as in complex surgeries (require cutting off the bone to remove the wisdom teeth).

It can take up to 2 weeks to recover from the surgery for having your wisdom tooth or teeth removed. During this time, you may have: a swollen mouth and cheeks – this will be worse for the first few days but will gradually improve; gently pressing a cold cloth to your face helps reduce the swelling.

The Difference in Bone Structure

It might not feel like it, but our teeth are encased in bone, and the intensity of pain that you experience will be different for each tooth simply due to the natural variation in the bone that holds each set. The bone that holds your lower set is far stronger and denser.

Your recovery period can take anywhere between few days to a week. You should take it easy for the first few days, although in most cases, you can resume work, school or normal activity after the first day. As far as is possible, avoid that may cause interruptions to your mouth during the recovery period.

For this reason, horizontal impactions are considered to be the most painful type of wisdom tooth impaction. To alleviate pain and prevent damage to the adjacent teeth, wisdom teeth that are horizontally impacted must be removed with a surgical extraction.

Typically you can stop worrying about the dry socket after 7-10 days because this is the amount of time that gums take to close. However, everyone heals at their own time, depending on age, oral health, hygiene, and other factors. Believe in your care team and instantly communicate if you experience abnormal symptoms.

A dry socket is when the blood clot gets dislodged prematurely from the tooth socket. Symptoms of pain at the surgical site and even pain to the ear may occur 2-3 days following surgery. Call the office if this occurs.

Dry socket

This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery. The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense like a toothache. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket.

Any wisdom tooth that is healthy and growing properly may not require extraction. So you could certainly opt to remove only the painful teeth now and adopt a wait-and-see approach for the others. Keep in mind, though, that the third molars are notorious for causing a variety of dental problems.

Dry sockets usually result in slower healing after wisdom tooth surgery, and it's more likely to occur in a lower wisdom tooth than an upper one. You may experience a dry socket if you have the following symptoms: Pain that radiates from the treatment area to the temple or ear.

What does dry socket taste like?

No associated taste. Bad breath. Foul odor coming from the extraction site.

You should eat only soft foods for the first week: for example, soups, eggs, mashed potatoes, and meatloaf are fine. For 2 weeks (8 weeks if you had lower wisdom teeth extracted), do not eat hard, crunchy, or very chewy foods, such as European breads, pizza crust, steak or jerky, nuts, or popcorn.

After you get your wisdom teeth pulled, you'll need to keep your head elevated for at least 36 hours at a 45-degree angle, even while you sleep.

So it will usually take longer to get numb than to get out. However, some teeth are very difficult to remove. Back teeth are almost always more difficult than front teeth. Back teeth have two or three roots (sometimes four) whereas front teeth have one.

In fact, where they are not negatively impacting oral and/or overall health, it is best to keep wisdom teeth intact. Properly erupted wisdom teeth provide support in the back of the mouth and help maintain bone in the jaw. This support is beneficial to the health of the temporo mandibular joint (TMJ).

Fortunately for you, your jaw does NOT need to be broken even for the most impacted and difficult wisdom tooth to be removed. We assure you, your jaw will be intact after the procedure is completed.

In most cases, the wisdom teeth on the upper jaw heal faster than those on the lower jaw.

Days 3-4: While swelling will peak during this time, the throbbing pain will give way to general soreness. Don't be alarmed if it's difficult to open your mouth completely. This will soon subside. Oral hygiene is important to keep the extraction sites clean.

Dry socket

This can happen 3 to 5 days after surgery. The empty socket causes an ache or throbbing pain in your gum or jaw, which can be intense like a toothache. There may also be an unpleasant smell or taste from the empty tooth socket.

How do I know if I'm healing properly after wisdom teeth removal?

After about 3 days, the empty tooth socket will have mostly healed. There should be no more bleeding present, and swelling should be minimal at this point. You may still experience some tenderness or soreness, but you should no longer feel pain or discomfort.

While the blood clot is forming, you may get food particles in the hole. This is perfectly normal. If the food particle isn't too uncomfortable, leaving it alone is an option, and it'll eventually dislodge itself.

You may notice a “hole” in your gums after surgery. This is the tooth socket, and it will fill in over the next 4-6 weeks. Food may become lodged in the sockets (especially the lower). If this happens, wound healing will be compromised, and you will be at risk for developing dry socket and even infection.