Dental extraction won’t be stressful if you know what and what not to do after a tooth removal.
It’s all about fast healing of the socket with zero complications. After removing the tooth, the bony socket, once occupied by the tooth itself, gets filled with a newly-formed blood clot like a normal wound. So to ensure fast and proper healing, all we have to do is to protect the blood clot from dislodging. Follow these simple instructions after tooth extraction oral surgery, and you’ll be able to replace the lost tooth sooner than you think.
What should you do after dental extraction?
• Stay in the dental office for about 30 minutes after a dental extraction to ensure that you don’t get any acute complications that need immediate professional action.
• Bite on a gauze or a cotton pellet against the wound for 20 to 30 minutes to control the bleeding. If it keeps bleeding, keep a new cotton pellet for another 30 minutes. Repeat until the bleeding stops. You can also keep used tea bags against the socket to stop bleeding at home. If the bleeding doesn’t stop within 3 to 4 hours, contact your dentist immediately for further management.
• Make sure to eat soft food and drink mild cold beverages on the extraction day.
• You can start brushing your teeth after 24 hours and continue other routine dental hygiene practices.
• Gentle brushing with extra care around the wound is recommended to avoid any damage to the surgical site.
• If possible, bite and chew from the other side of the mouth for 3-4 days.
• Inform your dentist if you are already taking medications for any other condition.
• Take the medicine, including painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, as your dentist recommends.
• Make sure to control your blood sugar level if you are a diabetic patient, as uncontrolled diabetes tends to delay wound healing.
• It’s essential to take antibiotics for the recommended duration even if you start to feel better.
• Consult your dentist as soon as possible whenever you notice any change at the surgical site, like pain, bone exposure, foul smell, pus discharge or changes in your body like fever and discomfort.
What shouldn’t you do after dental extraction?
• Don’t spit until the next day since the pressure can dislodge the clot.
• Don’t brush your teeth until the next day.
• Never try to explore the socket with the tip of your tongue, finger, or sharp things like safety pins.
• Don’t drink hot beverages and eat hard food on the same day because they can dissolve the clot.
• Don’t use straws for drinking beverages because the negative pressure can dislodge the blood clot.
• Don’t skip your regular dental hygiene routine with brushing and flossing.
• It’s always better not to drive by yourself after an extraction.
These simple steps will prevent unnecessary complications like infections, inflammation and swelling after any tooth extraction, such as extraction before a dental implant treatment.
