If your dentist recommends tooth extraction, the health of your mouth benefits from removing a damaged or unhealthy tooth. Although removing a tooth can seem daunting, there’s a lot one can do to help improve their recovery and get back to a normal life. When discussing tooth extraction recovery tips, it’s often easier to discuss what not to do.
By avoiding a few things during the first few days of recovery, one can experience a positive recovery experience. However, the length of recovery varies from one person to another. It often lasts for a few days to a few weeks. During the recovery time, ensure to avoid the following things and treat your mouth with extra care.
Do Not Touch the Sutures
The mouse is sensitive to any change after tooth extraction. One may find their tongue running over the area frequently. Although it’s very tempting to poke and prod the area with your fingers or tongue, too many interferences can lead to a slower healing process. It can also lead to dry sockets, which is rare, but it’s a very painful condition.
You should try doing your best to keep the area untouched. However, in case of any food pieces get lodged in the sutures, you should gently rinse with a saline solution to remove them. Also, use care when flossing and brushing to avoid the area until healed.
Don’t Drink Alcohol or Smoke
For 24 hours after the dental procedure, don’t drink alcohol or smoke. Both tobacco and alcohol are detrimental to the mouth’s natural healing process. Also, alcohol can dangerously interfere with pain medication your
dentist in Old Saybrook, CT, may have prescribed. Instead, you should try using extraction treatment as an opportunity to quit tobacco for good.
Do Not Eat Hard or Crunchy Foods
Easy to chew and soft foods are recommended for the first few days after your procedure. A diet of soft foods such as smoothies, pasta, potatoes, soup, yogurt, and eggs helps decrease the chances of damaging the extraction site.
Also, it helps reduce the chance of getting food pieces lodged in your wound. Then, as you feel comfortable, you can introduce solid foods back into your diet after three to four days.
Don’t Use Straws
While taking the soft foods recommended, you shouldn’t use a straw. Drinking through a straw creates suction, which may dislodge blood clots. This can significantly impede your healing process. Instead, you should use a spoon for all soft food for at least a week of your tooth extraction procedure.
Do Not Overexert Yourself
You should always take it easy so your body can use its energy towards recovery. For example, keep physical activity like lifting heavy objects, running, or bending over to a minimum. All of these activities can potentially dislodge or damage your blood clot.
When preparing for tooth extraction, you should review the guidelines from your dentist thoroughly before your procedure. Also, ensure you ask our
Saybrook Family Dental Care team any questions you may have.
How to Care for My Mouth After Tooth Extraction
When you’ve had a
tooth extraction in Old Saybrook, CT, You need to take care of your mouth. Even on the first day, doing certain things helps you feel better and heal faster.
Control Bleeding
To control bleeding, you should bite firmly on the gauze placed by your dentist. The pressure applied helps to form a blood clot in the tooth socket. If there is a lot of bleeding, you should try biting on a regular tea bug. The tannic acid found in tea helps in forming a blood clot. However, slight oozing of blood on the first day is normal.
Minimize Pain
To help lessen any pain, take prescribed medicine as directed. However, you should not drive while taking pain medicine as you may feel drowsy. Also, you should ask your dentist if you may take over-the-counter medicine if needed.
Reduce Swelling
To help reduce swelling, you should place an ice pack on your cheek near the extraction area. We should apply the ice pack to the cheek for 10 minutes, then remove it for five minutes. Repeat this process as needed. Sometimes you may see bruises on your face, but this is normal and will go away on its own.
