What Happens When Food Gets Stuck in Wisdom Teeth Holes?
This is what happens when food gets stuck in wisdom teeth holes:
- Delayed healing: Food stuck in the socket can interfere with socket closure, delaying the healing process.
- Bad breath: What would happen to food stuck in your mouth for days? It will obviously lead to bad breath.
- Unpleasant taste: Fermenting food in your mouth results in a bad taste.
- Discomfort: It can be uncomfortable or even painful.
When Food Stops Getting Stuck in Wisdom Teeth Holes?
The first week after wisdom tooth removal is when food is most likely to get stuck in the socket, causing concern for patients. Here’s why this time it is critical:
- Extraction sockets are widely open right after wisdom teeth removal, making it easier for food to become lodged.
- Proper oral hygiene becomes challenging when the surgical site is tender after the extraction; this increases the risk of food getting stuck.
Thankfully, the sockets heal and shrink, and after about a week or two, the risk of food getting stuck in the wisdom teeth holes decreases.
How Long Can Food Get Stuck in Extraction Sockets?
The food you eat can become trapped in your wisdom tooth socket for 1-2 weeks until the socket fully heals, which typically takes 3-6 weeks. Here is why the occurrence of getting food stuck in your wisdom teeth holes becomes less over time:
- As the hole shrinks, only smaller food particles can get stuck.
- Larger holes can trap anything from small particles to rice and bread.
Remember, it’s a spectrum—larger holes increase the risk. If food gets stuck, here’s what to do as part of your aftercare.
- Rinse your mouth with saltwater vigorously in order to remove food particles.
- Use a plastic syringe to remove the food particles from the hole with water pressure.
- You may also use a water flosser to remove stuck food from the hole.
- Brush gently to clean the hole.
- Use a Q-tip to remove any visible particles.
What If I Can’t Remove the Food?
If the food remains stuck even after all these methods, consult your dentist. They can use an air-water syringe to clean the wisdom tooth hole.
Final Thoughts
Most people can stop worrying about food getting stuck in their wisdom tooth holes after 1-2 weeks. By then, sufficient healing should have occurred, and the hole should have closed enough to prevent most food from lodging.
If you can’t remove the stuck food, contact Citrus Smiles at these numbers: Call our Murphy dental clinic at (972) 472-8862, our Wylie dental clinic at (972) 474-3849, or our Heath dental clinic at (972) 433-6500.