Quick answer
Typical wisdom teeth recovery: days one and two are the sorest, swelling peaks around day two to three (this is normal, not a complication), jaw stiffness eases through the first week, and most people return to work or study within two to four days for simple removals, up to a week for surgical ones. Follow the same clot-protection rules as any extraction for the first 24 hours. Call promptly for pain that increases after day three, bleeding that won't settle, fever, or swelling that makes swallowing difficult.
The honest timeline
- Day 0: numb, gauze, home, sofa. Start pain relief before the anaesthetic fades. Cold compress cycles for swelling.
- Days 1 to 2: the sorest stretch. Soft food, rest, and don't be alarmed as swelling climbs; it lags the surgery.
- Days 2 to 3: swelling PEAKS, often with bruising drifting down the jawline and a jaw that opens reluctantly. This is the day people worry unnecessarily; it's the normal summit.
- Days 4 to 7: everything recedes: swelling deflates, opening returns, food diversifies. Stitches, if placed, usually dissolve on their own within a week or two.
- Week 2 onward: sockets close over; deeper healing continues quietly for weeks. Occasional food-in-the-socket moments are normal; rinse rather than excavate.
Eating your way back
Day one: cool and soft (yoghurt, smoothies without straws, custard). Days two to four: eggs, pasta, mashed everything, soft fish. Add texture as the jaw allows. Skip: straws, grains and seeds that lodge in sockets, chilli, alcohol, and anything piping hot for the first few days.
Jaw stiffness and the ear ache
Limited opening and an achy ear-adjacent jaw are near-universal after lower wisdom teeth and settle across the first week. Gentle warmth from day three and patient, small-range opening exercises help. Stiffness still tightening (rather than easing) after a week is worth mentioning to us.