Is pineapple juice good for wisdom tooth extraction?

Recently, the trend of drinking pineapple juice to fight swelling and pain after a wisdom tooth extraction is “storming” on Tiktok. Increasingly known, drinking pineapple juice is becoming a super-fast recovery drink after wisdom tooth extraction. Let’s see what experts say about this trend!

The trend of pineapple juice to relieve pain in wisdom teeth

Wisdom tooth extraction is an unpleasant experience, but perhaps many people have, are, and will have to go through it. The American Dental Association lists a variety of reasons why you may need to have your wisdom teeth removed. With the constant struggle with pain, infection, damage to surrounding teeth, cysts, etc., there’s a good chance your dentist will recommend that you have the teeth removed. wisdom teeth at some point.

Every wisdom tooth extraction is a step into real surgery. After the extraction is complete, it can take up to a few days for you to recover. Recently, on Tiktok, there has been a trend of drinking pineapple juice before removing wisdom teeth to help reduce pain and reduce inflammation afterward.

It is not clear where this trend originated, but there are a few accounts that have told the story of their wisdom teeth extraction when applying this restorative tip. The first is from @valeriagreenz. She shared that she drank nearly 2 liters of pineapple juice before having her wisdom teeth extracted. After the tooth was extracted, it only took a day for her to rest before she could drive a car, go out, smile, and pose for pictures confidently, everything is completely normal. She also acknowledged in the comment section that thanks to pineapple juice, the wisdom tooth extraction experience became much more pleasant, and the wound afterward was not painful.

So is pineapple juice good for wisdom teeth extraction?

What does wisdom tooth surgery include?

According to the Mayo Clinic, wisdom tooth surgery, also known as wisdom tooth extraction, is when a dentist or oral surgeon removes wisdom teeth — the last permanent teeth to appear in your mouth. The goal of surgery is to help prevent possible complications from leaving those teeth behind, like infection, decay, and soreness.

The Mayo Clinic explains you will be sedated, then the doctor will make an incision in the gum to expose the teeth and bone, remove the bone that obstructs the root, remove the tooth, sew up the wound, and place gauze. The location of the wisdom tooth that has just been extracted.

“Dentists regularly have to remove bone and even cut teeth,” Dr. Mark Wolff (head of the Department of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania) told Health. You may then experience swelling, bleeding, discomfort, and bruising for a few days. Each person may experience a different reaction after wisdom tooth extraction.

What role does pineapple juice play in wisdom teeth?

Claims from TikTok players show that pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that has anti-inflammatory effects. Based on that, it is said that drinking a lot of pineapple juice will help reduce swelling and pain after wisdom tooth extraction.

This is not without foundation. A small study published in 2014 published in Healthline showed that some patients received 150mg of bromelain/day for 3 days after wisdom tooth extraction, and 100mg on days 4-7. The researchers concluded that there was “no statistically significant difference” between the groups, but “a tendency to reduce inflammation was observed in the bromelain group”.

In another small study, published in 2016 in the Journal of the International Dental Association, participants took bromelain and amoxicillin (an antibiotic) after surgery and rated their pain on days 1, 3, and 7. Of the 40 people who took bromelain, researchers say it “effectively” reduced swelling and pain in 28 participants.

But there are some caveats to consider. “Studies looking at bromelain for reducing pain and swelling after wisdom tooth extraction have been in supplement form, not from food sources,” says Dr. Jessica Cording, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety shared with Health, said.

Also, keep in mind, that the new study only looked at the effects of taking bromelain after surgery, not before wisdom tooth extraction.

“It’s really hard to compare things like pain and swelling after wisdom tooth extraction because everyone’s body reacts differently,” says Dr. Wolff.

Answering more about this issue, Associate Professor. Dr. Jamie Alan (Ph.D. Pharmacy, Michigan State University) affirmed: “This is ridiculous. Some data suggests that bromelain can act as an anti-inflammatory agent. However, consider this under specific circumstances. Pineapple juice is acidic. This will really create a cascade of inflammation in your mouth.” This expert fears, that pineapple juice may not make you feel better, but drinking it right before wisdom tooth extraction can make the wound in the mouth more painful. If you want to try this, it will probably hurt more because the acid in the pineapple reacts with the wounds in your mouth.

Drinking pineapple juice before wisdom tooth extraction is dangerous?

While pineapple juice is largely harmless, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before doing it this way, experts say. Some accounts recommend drinking a lot, namely nearly 1.8l of pineapple juice. “I’m quite concerned about the impact of blood sugar after you drink large amounts of fruit juice,” Dr. Cording said. In addition, this can also upset the digestive system, causing problems such as abdominal pain, heartburn, diarrhea …

Instead of drinking a lot of pineapple juice, what should you do to recover quickly after wisdom tooth extraction?

Dr. Wolff says one of the best things you can do is take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug like Motrin or Aleve to help reduce swelling and pain after surgery.

In addition, applying ice to one side of the face can also help reduce swelling and pain. Saltwater or mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide can also help reduce swelling, be careful not to swallow these!

If you want to try pineapple juice and find it helpful for you, then go ahead. But don’t forget there’s no concrete data to say it’s really good for quick recovery after wisdom tooth extraction!