Tips on How to Heal Quickly After a Tooth Extraction

It is expected to experience mild discomfort after getting a tooth extracted. However, pain and other issues associated with the extraction should decline steadily as you heal.

Improper oral care can lead to serious complications.

It is important to know the right care before and after extraction to facilitate a smooth healing process.

The following tips will help relieve your toothache and hasten the healing process after an extraction:

  1. Proper use of the gauze

Immediately after the extraction, your dentist will place a gauze on the wound left behind to stop further bleeding. Ensure that you bite on it tightly. This will apply pressure on the wound, stopping it from bleeding.

If the bleeding does not stop any time soon, it means that the wound is not covered directly. Take off the gauze and reposition it better.

Observe the following:

  • Talking will loosen the gauze, delaying the clotting process. Therefore the bleeding takes longer
  • Replace the gauze if it gets too wet. Avoid doing it too often if not necessary, or spitting saliva as it will hinder the clotting process.
  • Coughing, sneezing, blowing nose or any other activity that increases your blood pressure will result in more bleeding.

 

  1. Ice the area

Cold works effectively in reducing both pain and inflammation. The first thing that you should do after getting home from the dentist is to place ice close to the area of extraction for about twenty minutes.

Ensure that you wrap the ice with a cloth before placing it on your skin, to protect you from ice burns.

Avoid heating the extraction area. Heating will increase the blood flow to the wound area, causing more pain and swelling.

  1. Take painkillers

The pain and inflammation might sometimes take longer to fade away. This is where painkillers come in.

You can seek advice from Swansea Dental Clinic on the right painkillers for you and get them over the counter. Painkillers and antibiotics are best taken before the anesthesia wears off.

  1. Avoid dryness

Wisdom tooth surgery might leave you sore and feeling uncomfortable. Due to this discomfort, many people might find it easier to breathe through the mouth, which is wrong.

Breathing through your mouth will cause dryness, which will disrupt the PH levels of your mouth, inhabiting cavity-causing bacteria and therefore exposing your wound to the risk of getting infected.

If you have to breathe through your mouth, make sure to use an oral care moisturizer to help keep your mouth healthy during your recovery.

  1. Be careful about what you eat

You should wait until the anesthesia wears off completely before you attempt eating any food. Start with softer food and gradually move to harder food as you heal. Make sure you chew on the side opposite to the one with an extraction wound.

Eating something soft and cold will soothe the wound and provide you with nourishment as well. Anything hard, hot, crumbly or crunchy might dislodge the clot that has already formed on your wound and cause bleeding.

  1. Brush your teeth

Brush your teeth after 24 hours. However, make sure to avoid the area with the tooth extraction wound.  Rinse the wound area using a saline solution to avoid tampering with the clot.

You can get back to your regular brushing and flossing, just be sure to keep off the extraction site. Add an antiseptic mouthwash to your oral care routine to help kill any bacteria that might cause you an infection.