Wisdom teeth: Extracting Facts from Myths and Trends

How do you separate the myths from the facts with all the online trends on extracting wisdom teeth? Read on!

Getting your wisdom teeth extracted is a necessary rite of passage for many people. It’s not “like pulling teeth”–it is actually removing the tooth. According to some TikTok vloggers, drinking pineapple juice may speed up the healing process. Is there any truth to this trend?

What are the myths of this TikTok trend?

People are posting videos on TikTok about drinking an excessive amount of pineapple juice before surgery in hopes that it will reduce pain and inflammation. One person, @valeriagreenz, said she drank 64 ounces, or half a gallon, of pineapple juice before her wisdom tooth removal surgery. She posted photos the next day to show that she was looking and feeling completely normal. Another TikTokker, Mackenzie Fuhrman, reported that she had “zero pain” and “minimal swelling” right after surgery.

What are the facts of this TikTok trend?

The good: pineapple juice contains Vitamin C and enzyme called bromelain, both of these have anti-inflammatory properties. There have been small studies on the effect of bromelain supplements taken post-surgery and appeared to help with pain and swelling in 28 of the 40 people in the study.

The bad: there is a lot of sugar and acid in pineapple juice. If you drink 64 ounces in one sitting, you might experience nausea, gas, bloating, stomachache, heart burn and diarrhea. The excessive sugar can cause energy spikes and crashes. In addition, there could be damage to the tooth enamel.

The bottomline and real tips

While the TikTok videos are entertaining, there is limited scientific information at this point to make it conclusive. The reality is different factors, such as age, the health of your teeth or other health conditions, can affect how a person recovers after surgery. Here are some general tips:

1. Take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like aspirin to help reduce swelling after your surgery.
2. Put ice on the side of your face can also help with the swelling and pain.
3. Rinse with salt water or hydrogen peroxide can also keep the wound clean and speed up the healing.
4. Follow your oral surgeon’s instructions as they will be specific to your case.