Extractions
Natural teeth are ideal for biting, chewing and maintaining mouth and jawbone structures and relations, which is why a dentist’s first priority is to help restore, save and repair your natural teeth.However, sometimes a tooth extraction is unavoidable.
The dentists at Smile Bright Dental have undergone additional training in the practice of difficult tooth and wisdom tooth removal. We will make sure you’re comfortable before, during, and after your extraction procedure. This includes walking you through every step of the tooth extraction, as well as the use of local anesthetics and available options to reduce anxiety such as laughing gas (nitrous oxide).
Feeling uneasy about your tooth extraction? Be sure to talk to your dentist about how you’re feeling so that we can help. In addition, here are helpful tips on overcoming dental anxiety.
Post-Operative Instructions
It’s natural that changes will occur in your mouth after the procedure. Talk to your Boston Dental dentists for your options on how to replace the lost tooth.
Here are some general guidelines to help promote healing, prevent complications, and make you more comfortable during your recovery.
Follow all instructions from your Boston Dental team. This will help make sure that your mouth heals properly after your tooth is removed. These instructions will also help to lower your risk of having any problems while your mouth heals.
Bleeding
Your dentist may place a gauze pack on the extraction site to limit bleeding. This will also help a blood clot to form, which is necessary for normal healing. This gauze pack should be left in place and firm pressure applied to promote a blood clot. Change the gauze once it has become saturated. You no longer need to change it when you notice the bleedling left on the gauze is light pink.
Do not chew on the pack. There may be some bleeding or oozing after the pack is removed. If so, here’s what to do:
- Fold a piece of clean gauze into a pad thick enough to bite on. Dampen the pad with clean, warm water and place it directly on the extraction site.
- Apply pressure by closing your teeth firmly over the pad. Maintain this pressure for about 30 minutes. If the pad becomes soaked with blood, replace it with a clean one.
- Do not suck on the extraction site or disturb it with your tongue.
- A slight amount of blood may leak from the extraction site until a clot forms. However, if heavy bleeding continues, call your dentist. (Remember, though, that a little bit of blood mixed with saliva can look like a lot of bleeding.)
- It is normal for some light continual bleeding and oozing even overnight. If so, place a towel over your pillow so you do not soil your pillow cover.
How to clean your mouth after your tooth is remove.
Day of procedure:
- Do not clean the teeth next to the healing tooth socket for the rest of the day.
- Brush and floss your other teeth.
Day after procedure:
- Begin gently cleaning the teeth next to the healing tooth socket.
- Gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water after meals to keep bits of food out of the extraction site.
- To make a salt water rinse: mix half a teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water. Your water should not be too salty otherwise it may damage and dry your healing site.
- Try not to rinse your mouth too hard because this could loosen the blood clot. You can shake your head to move the water around in your mouth. Do not spit after your rinse, instead allow the rinse to fall out the corner of your mouth.
Avoid using a mouthwash during this early healing period as it will delay the healing.
Take pain medication only as directed by your dentist.
- If your dentist has prescribed medicine to control pain and inflammation, or to prevent infection, use it only as directed.
- If the pain medication prescribed does not seem to work for you, don’t take more pills or take them more often than directed — call your dentist.
Swelling and pain are normal after a tooth is removed.
To help reduce swelling and pain:
- try applying a cold compress to your face, like an ice pack or a cold, moist cloth
Call your dentist right away if you have any of these issues.
- fever, nausea, or vomiting
- ongoing or severe pain, swelling, or bleeding
- pain that gets worse with time instead of better
If you cannot reach your dentist, go to a hospital emergency room.
Eating and drinking
Day of procedure:
- Drink lots of liquids and eat soft, nutritious foods.
- Avoid hot liquids and alcoholic beverages.
- Do not use a straw, as this can disturb the blood clot.
Day after procedure:
- Begin eating solid foods the next day or as soon as you can chew comfortably.
- For the first few days, try to chew food on the side opposite the extraction site.
- When it feels comfortable, you should resume chewing on both sides of your mouth.
Other things you should know
- Avoid alcoholic beverages or mouthwash that has alcohol in it for 24 hours.
- Limit physical activity like exercise or lifting heavy objects for 24 hours after the extraction. This will reduce bleeding and help the blood clot to form.
- If you do get a dry socket, report it to your dentist right away. A dressing may be placed in the socket to protect it until the socket heals and to reduce any pain.
- Do not disturb the blood clot that forms in the tooth socket!
The blood clot that forms in the tooth socket is an important part of the normal healing process. You should avoid doing things that might disturb the clot. If the blood clot is disturbed and breaks down, you can get a dry socket . Dry sockets can be extremely painful. To lower your risk of a dry socket, be very careful to not do anything that can disturb the clot. For the first 24 hours, do not suck, spit, slurp, or any other action that creates suction in your mouth and puts pressure on your blood clot. This means:
- Do not drink through a straw
- Do not smoke (smoking can also prevent your gums from healing properly)
- Do not suck on candy, popsicles, lollipops, etc.
- Do not slurp up soups or other liquids
- Do not rinse your mouth with too much force
