Not during the procedure — with adequate local anaesthetic you feel pressure and vibration, not pain. Afterwards, discomfort peaks in the first 48–72 hours and is usually well controlled with prescribed painkillers and a cold compress. Most patients say it was easier than they expected.

Swelling typically builds over the first two days and peaks around 48–72 hours, then eases steadily over the following week. A cold compress on day one, sleeping with your head slightly raised, and sticking to soft foods all help it settle faster. Swelling that keeps growing after day 3, rather than easing, is one of the signs worth calling the clinic about.

For the first few days choose soft, cool or lukewarm foods — congee, soup, yogurt, steamed egg, soft noodles — and chew on the other side. Avoid hot, spicy, hard or crumbly foods, alcohol, and drinking through straws while the socket is healing.

Many people return the next day after a simple extraction. For a surgical (impacted) case, 1–3 days of rest is typical, with swelling peaking around 48–72 hours before subsiding. Plan important events for at least a few days after the procedure.

A dry socket happens when the blood clot in the healing socket is lost too early, exposing bone — the sign is pain that suddenly worsens 3–5 days after the extraction. Avoid smoking, straws, forceful rinsing and spitting in the first days. If it happens, the clinic can dress the socket to relieve the pain, so contact your dentist promptly.

Yes, right after the procedure — the local anaesthetic numbs your lip, cheek and chin along with the tooth, and it wears off within a few hours just like at any dental visit. Numbness that lingers well beyond that, especially after a lower wisdom tooth whose roots sit close to the nerve, is uncommon but should be mentioned to your dentist at the review visit so they can monitor it.