Why shouldn't you exercise after you get your wisdom teeth out?!

Why shouldn't you exercise after you get your wisdom teeth out?

Like I had mine out last Thurs. and it hasn't been horrible. They feel fine but I remember the dentist saying "don't work out for a week" well i went running the other night and everything went fine. In fact it was like my best time i've ever done. So whats the big concern? Why shouldn't I run after getting my wisdom teeth out?

3 weeks ago
Well I heal pretty fast. And when I ran, I kinda kept my jaw and head straight so it wasn't bobbing up and down and I was fine.

As a dentist I can assure you that the answers above are for the most part correct. The main reason we advise patients not to do any strenuous exercise, drink from a straw or smoke is because of the potential of developing dry socket. When a tooth is extracted the bone in your jaw (either the Mandible or Maxilla- depending on top or bottom teeth) is exposed to air, bacteria and food etc., but shortly after an extraction bleeding will slow and a clot forms to cover the socket thus creating a barrier between bone and things inside the mouth. If you perform any strenuous exercise this can cause the clot to dislodge and re-expose the bone to the elements in the mouth, once this happens an infection is not far away and you would end up right back in your dentists chair in horrible pain that most patients say is worse than their toothache before the extraction.