Pineapple Juice & Wisdom Teeth: Does It Actually Help?

March 29, 2022

Wisdom teeth extractions are never fun, and they can create a lot of anxiety. If you are about to get your wisdom teeth removed, you are likely wondering how you’ll be able to manage the pain and discomfort that will follow.

Your dentist will prescribe some pain medications to help and provide other at-home care tips like applying cold compresses to help manage your pain and swelling. But, if you took your questions to Google, you might have come across a rather strange remedy for wisdom tooth pain: pineapple juice.

Can it actually work? Find out the answer in this short post from Nashoba Valley Dental!

Pineapple Juice and Pain: It’s Complicated

You’ll be surprised to learn there is actually some truth to this claim, although it is a bit more complicated than how the internet makes it seem.

Essentially, pineapple juice can help reduce swelling and address pain thanks to a natural enzyme called bromelain. The enzyme can trigger the body’s ability to fight pain and reduce swelling. So it’s not the pineapple juice per se, but a substance you can find in it.

There are a few studies that have looked closer at bromelain and found it can have very good results. For instance, one small study on 40 participants who went through wisdom tooth removal found that 70% of them (28 participants) felt better thanks to bromelain. Their swelling and pain reduced.

However, the participants also took an antibiotic, which could have greatly helped with pain and swelling as well. Not to mention that they only took bromelain and not pineapple juice. So the results should be taken with a grain of salt.

So Should You Drink Pineapple Juice After Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Pineapple juice might not be the best way to manage your pain and swelling after dental surgery. For one thing, you will likely need to drink a lot of it to feel its effects, and in very high levels pineapple juice can have some negative side effects, such as nausea or even diarrhea.

The juice is also very high in sugar, so it’s not recommended for people with diabetes or blood sugar irregularities. Specialists recommend limiting your pineapple juice intake to just 8 ounces per day, so the amount of bromelain you ingest won’t be very large.

The best approach, in this case, is to talk to your dentist. If you have concerns about taking pain medications, even over the counter, your dental surgeon can help you discover other pain management solutions that work for you.