After your wisdom teeth removal, you can't really talk for the first three hours or so but after that you should be able to do so. There are reasons why we say this and it is for your own good if you abide by the aftercare instructions.
Why can't I talk for the first 3 hours?
The recommendation for abstaining from talking for the first 3 hours after wisdom teeth removal is for your safety and comfort. Your immediate priority is to bite on gauze in order to stop the bleeding. Along with that you're also still numb from the local anesthesia so talking would be difficult.
Biting on gauze
The tooth socket will be bleeding profusely right after the wisdom tooth extraction. Your main priority as of that moment is to stanch the bleeding so that your life doesn't become endangered. How you get the bleeding to stop is by applying pressure to the wound by biting on gauze.
The wound will not stop oozing until about 2-4 hours later but we'll just say 3 hours on average. During that time you must be consistently biting down into the gauze. If you don't bite down into it, no pressure will be applied and you will not achieve hemostasis.
Since you're forced to constantly bite into gauze, that will make talking quite difficult. In order to enunciate your words properly you do have to open your mouth. While you're using gauze you're not supposed to open your mouth at all because you'd release pressure on the wound.
Taking into account all of that, you may not be able to talk very well during the first three hours. You can probably still mumble some words but that's the best that you could do.
Still numb
Don't forget that your dentist needs to give you local anesthesia to numb the tooth and its surrounding soft tissue for the extraction. They most likely gave you enough Lidocaine to keep you numb for at least 3 hours after the procedure.
If you've ever had fillings done before, you'd know that you can't really talk very well while you're numb. I mean you can still talk but you'd fumble your words a bit. If you also happen to talk too fast, you can bite your lip or your tongue.
For that reason we would recommend waiting until the numbness wears off before you talk again. Fortunately for you, the timeline for the anesthetic to wear off also coincides with when the bleeding will stop, which is 3 hours.
So it is okay to talk after that?
After the 3 hours are up, the bleeding should've stopped and the numbness should've dissipated. At that point it should be fine for you to talk normally. You shouldn't have any trouble pronouncing any of your words.
However you should be mindful that while you can do it, you may want to minimize the amount of talking that you do. Don't forget that you're literally recovering from a surgery. You have a missing tooth and a gaping hole in the jaw bone. There will be some adverse effects that will make speaking a little more challenging.
Adverse effects:
Pain
Tenderness
Soreness
You may not want to talk as much while experiencing these symptoms. You probably want to just rest or maybe even watch a movie instead of socializing with someone else.
When will I function normally?
Honestly after the first day, you should be talking completely normally after that. Most people do happen to return to work on the next day after the procedure. There shouldn't be any inhibition in speaking. The only people who should take an extra day off are those who do construction work.
Alternative to talking
While it may be difficult to physically talk, there are alternative forms of communication. They are all equally as effective in conveying your thoughts.
Alternatives:
Texting. Most people are texting on their phones all day long as their main form of communication. Right now is probably the best time to use it so that you can give your mouth a break.
Writing. If you want to talk to your significant other, you always go the traditional route and write notes to one another. If we do say so ourselves, there is a certain charm that is oh so ever endearing about hand written notes. Perhaps it is your chance to rekindle your relationship in a new way.
The possibilities are simply endless, just use your imagination. All of these other methods will be better than using your mouth!
Takeaway
You should abstain from as much talking as possible for the first 3 hours after your wisdom teeth surgery. The most important thing at that point is to get the bleeding to stop so that you don't endanger yourself. You need to focus biting down on gauze and not constantly opening your mouth to enunciate words.
After the bleeding has stopped you may resume talking if you want to but you should take it easy on the first day. After all, the day of the procedure should be reserved for rest and not socializing.
If you really need to communicate with someone you can simply use alternative methods such as texting. With the advent of the internet, you can be connected to everyone in the world with just a single touch on your phone screen. Those are all of the tips that our dentists in Long Island City can give you.
