What to do about excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal?
Saliva is a fluid secreted by the salivary glands to keep your mouth moist and fresh.
In typical conditions, saliva seems harmless and does not cause any problem to us. However, you may experience excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal, which later gives an unpleasant taste when mixed with blood.
That leads people to experience nausea or vomiting because of that taste.
For this reason, people often ask: What to do about excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal?
Well, you don’t need to make any additional effort, as there are many simple tips to handle this problem on your own.
What to do about excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal?
The excessive amount of saliva is to be expected after surgery. Bleeding or redness in the saliva is also possible. There are no proven side effects of saliva after extraction, as it is a healthy fluid that keeps your mouth moist. However, it may mix with the blood in your mouth, and you may mistakenly swallow it.
For such cases, here are some of the critical points that you should follow:
- Let saliva drain
- Bite on gauze
- Change sleeping position
- People with speech problems…
- Keep your mouth clean
Let saliva drain
It is always recommended to drain the bloody saliva instead of swallowing it, as swallowing may cause nausea or possibly vomiting.
Make sure you don’t spit it forcefully, though; let it drain slowly out from your mouth without any force.
Bite on gauze
A gauze pack can help reduce excessive bleeding from the gums. Take a piece of gauze, fold it, and press it gently on the surgery site. Bite it for 30–35 minutes and don’t speak or eat anything during this period.
Note: Gauze does not help reducing saliva. However, it is one of the best ways to reduce excessive bleeding, which is something you need to control to avoid bad taste.
Change sleeping position
Some people drool while sleeping. Switching to sleeping on your back can help fix your drooling issue.
A wedge pillow is a smart way to help a person remain in one position all night.
People with speech problems…
Some people have a speech problem, which can be another reason for excessive saliva and drooling.
Speech therapy may help improve jaw stability. It can also enhance tongue strength and mobility.
Speech therapy may take some time, but a patient can learn techniques to improve swallowing and decrease drooling.
Keep your mouth clean
Oral hygiene is essential to reduce mouth-related complications.
You should brush your teeth twice a day, use dental floss and mouthwash.
Rinse your mouth after every meal to remove any stuck particles around or between your teeth and gums.
Note: Make sure to start brushing the day after your wisdom teeth surgery, but don’t use a brush on the surgery site till the wounds are healed properly.
What are some benefits of saliva?
Saliva has several positive effects on our body.
Saliva prevents bad breath, kills germs, cures dry mouth, prevents tooth decay and gum disease, protects enamel, and helps wound healing.
In addition to that, saliva also plays an essential role in digestion with the help of an enzyme called amylase. Digestions begin in the mouth when amylase breaks down maltose, starch, and dextrose into smaller molecules.
It even helps us swallow food by making it wet and soft so that it can travel down our throat easily.
I accidentally spit saliva after having my wisdom teeth removed – what to do?
If you have mistakenly spit saliva after extraction, then you do not need to worry. For the next time, try not to spit or create any pressure in your mouth.
If you’re experiencing pain or irritation in the surgery site after spitting, it is good to call your surgeon.
Does wisdom teeth extraction actually cause excessive saliva?
Saliva can be caused when you keep your mouth close after putting in a gauze pack.
However, there’s no specific evidence that links excessive saliva with wisdom teeth removal.
These are some of the things that may cause excessive saliva:
Infection
When there’s an infection in the mouth, the body tries to fight it off by producing more saliva.
However, it is advised that you check yourself with a specialist if you are experiencing excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal or even normally.
Medication
All medication comes with some side effects, and excessive saliva production could be one of them.
If you think this is the cause of your excessive saliva, don’t stop any medication and instead consult with your doctor you’re in contact with.
Poisoning
Poisoning is one of the severe causes of excess saliva. Saliva production can increase after a bite from spider/reptile venom, poisonous mushrooms, or poisoning caused by mercury or copper.
Can I swallow saliva after tooth extraction?
In some situations, you may not find it suitable to release saliva from your mouth.
In that case, there’s no issue in swallowing it after extraction.
But do this at your own risk because the sour taste of blood in saliva may cause you nausea or even vomit.
Is excessive saliva after dental work normal?
It is absolutely fine to have excessive saliva when you have a dental treatment such as scaling, dental filling, root canal, teeth removal, etc.
That’s because your mouth is open, and in that case, it isn’t easy to swallow it.
Besides, dentists usually a suction instrument to pull out all the saliva in the machine.
Why I drool while sleeping?
Drooling is usually caused when you have bite problems.
People who have longer teeth or have bite issues tend to experience more saliva during sleep.
As mentioned above, you can try changing your sleeping position to get rid of this issue.
Why my saliva has a bad smell?
Poor saliva smell is due to inadequate oral hygiene.
Consuming fast foods can also worsen the saliva smell.
Chew sugar-free gums, use mouthwash, and rinse your mouth after eating any food to reduce the bad smell.
Can swallowing cause a dry socket?
No, swallowing has no link with causing you a dry socket.
Swallowing means you are taking the saliva or other liquid from your mouth to your body.
Dry socket is caused when you take any foods or drink that are harmful after wisdom teeth removal, such as soda, pizza, burger, French fries, etc.
It is highly recommended to follow the crucial Dos And Don’ts after surgery to be safe from serious complications.
How can you get rid of a dry mouth?
Dry mouth syndrome can be due to certain health conditions, such as diabetes, stroke, yeast infection, dehydration, or autoimmune diseases.
It is one of the oral issues that you should get checked and treated immediately because it may cause bacteria, bad breath, speaking problems, and other mouth-related problems.
Luckily, some of the natural ways to treat a dry mouth can be done easily at home, and here’s some of them!
- Drink water
- Take sugar-free candies
- Avoid breathing through the mouth
- Get a humidifier
- Moisturize manually
- Use ginger
Drink water
Constant hydration is essential to keep your mouth fresh and active against bacteria. It is not the job of saliva alone to moisten your mouth.
Keep a filled water bottle with you and have a sip after every few minutes.
Drink around 3 liters of water every day to rehydrate your body and fight against dry mouth syndrome.
Take sugar-free candies
Sucking on a sugar-free candy may provide some short-term relief from a dry mouth. You can consume products like tablets, cough drops, or other candies to prevent a dry mouth.
Avoid breathing through the mouth
Mouth-breathing can make a dry mouth condition severe and cause other oral health problems. Try breathing through your nose more than through your mouth, especially when you are experiencing dry mouth.
Get a humidifier
Humidity can help reduce dry mouth by adding more moisture to your surrounding.
According to some studies, high levels of humidity can improve symptoms of dry mouth.
Using a humidifier at night may reduce discomfort and improve sleep.
Moisturize manually
You can also moisten your mouth by stimulating saliva on your own.
Just circularly move your tongue under your mouth and suck to produce saliva.
Use Ginger
Ginger water, tea, and other ginger drinks can help improve salivary glands and increase saliva production.
Not only ginger water does this, but it also has several benefits to our health, such as Cholesterol control, blood pressure control, weight loss, and so on.
The Bottom Line
Saliva is a natural moisturizer for your mouth. There’s nothing to worry about if you have excessive saliva in your mouth after wisdom teeth removal.
However, if it’s causing you problems, we hope that the tips mentioned above will help you.
We hope you are now cleared about why you may have excessive saliva after wisdom teeth removal, how to control it, and other essential points regarding this topic.
