Tooth extractions, just like any other surgical treatment, demand adequate aftercare. Failure to follow aftercare recommendations can cause painful complications. It can also increase how long it takes your recovery after the tooth extraction procedure.
While pain is unavoidable after a tooth extraction procedure, there are proven ways to increase your recovery timeline. That’s why we’re writing this blog.
Here, we’ll cover all you need to know before your tooth extraction procedure. The following tips will help you manage any discomfort, reduce the risks of complications and ensure faster recovery following tooth extraction.
1. Stay in Contact with Your Dentist
Pain in the aftermath of a tooth extraction is fairly normal and can last anywhere from 7-10 days. Keep your dentist in the loop. Discuss the post-procedural experience with your dentist. Be honest about any unusual symptoms during this recovery phase.
After getting a tooth extraction, most symptoms leave in 7-8 days. But, you should always let your dentist know if you’re experiencing any of the following:
- Prolonged bleeding
- Difficulties chewing
- Allergic reactions
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Tooth fragments in the surgery site
- Unbearable pain
- Fever
- Numbness in the wound site
- Increased swelling
- Blood coming from the nose
- Pus in the wound site
- Trouble swallowing
- Breathing problems
In most cases, you should be feeling better by the third day after surgery, with pain and bleeding completely gone within a week. If this is not the case, or you experience any of the above symptoms, contact our office immediately to
Constant contact with your dentist will help you catch symptoms before they worsen.
2. Maintain the Gauze’s Position
It’s normal for dentists to place gauze on the extraction site after the procedure. This damp gauze protects the wound while also encouraging blood clotting.
We recommend keeping the gauze strip in place for up to two hours after your procedure — except your dentist tells you differently. Lightly biting on the gauze at regular intervals is an effective tip to recover from tooth extraction faster. This deliberation action boosts clot formation speed.
A blood clot should form on the wound after the two-hour mark. Secondly, there shouldn’t be any bleeding from the surgical site anymore. You can remove the gauze strip when you satisfy these conditions.
3. Care for the Blood Clot
This point is on our list of tips for faster recovery after tooth extraction due to the possibility of a condition dentists call Dry Socket.
Dry socket is perhaps the most painful tooth extraction complication. It describes a situation where the blood clot develops poorly, dislodges or dissolves.
The blood clot is the primary protective layer for the adjoining nerves and bone tissues in the extraction site. It protects these sensitive parts from food debris and bacteria.
Blood clots at the tooth extraction site form the foundation for new bone and tissue. Therefore, a dry socket condition can increase the timeline of your tooth extraction recovery.
Use the following tips to prevent dry socket and accelerate recovery from tooth extraction:
Easy and Gentle
Get plenty of rest after your tooth extraction procedure. We especially recommend taking the entire day off after your tooth extraction procedure.
Avoiding strenuous activity or exercise for 24-48 hours afterwards will help you recover from tooth extraction faster. Activities that increase your pulse can open the wound and dislodge the clot.
Avoid Touching the Wound
After a tooth extraction procedure, the gap in your mouth can feel strange, tempting even. It’s always best to resist touching the gap with your fingers or tongue.
Even the slightest touch can dislodge a blood clot that’s still forming, delaying your tooth extraction recovery. Worse, touching the wound invites bacteria into the wound site. Bacteria opens you up to serious infections that can delay the recovery timeline.
No Mouthwash Policy
Mouthwash is always a bad idea when recovering from a tooth extraction. More so if the mouthwash contains alcohol.
The rinsing, swirling and spitting action that comes with mouthwash use can open the wound. Therefore, it’s best to avoid mouthwash altogether, even if there’s a bad taste in your mouth.
And if the bad taste in your mouth lasts longer than three days, call your tooth extraction dentist in Ontario for advice.
Watch What You Eat
There’s an entire section on eating as part of our tips for faster recovery after a tooth extraction. But it’s still important to cover it while discussing the blood clot.
Excessive chewing can dislodge the blood clot at the wound site. It’s better to stick to soft, lukewarm food items. The food items to avoid include fruits, candy, and raw vegetables.
Related Article: How Long Before You Can Eat After a Filling?
4. Be Deliberate about Pain Management
You’ll feel slight pain and discomfort around the injection site once the anesthetic wears off. The hack to pain management is attacking it head-on before it gets worse.
Always use dentist-prescribed pain medications after your procedure. While medication is a must, only use the painkillers recommended by your dentist. The standard prescription is usually ibuprofen or paracetamol.
Furthermore, avoid combatting pain after tooth extraction with aspirin. Aspirin is a blood thinner and will only slow your heating and clotting process.
The final note is your eating habit while taking pain medications. Using pain medications without eating will increase the risk of nausea, indigestion, and acidity.
We understand it may be a bother to eat due to the wound in your mouth. But, you must do it. Semi-solid foods like smoothies, mashed potatoes, and yogurts will go well with your pain medication.
5. Use an Ice Pack
Putting an ice pack outside your cheek will soothe swelling and speed up your healing. It’ll also provide relief from any uneasiness and discomfort. We recommend doing the ice therapy for 30-45 minutes at a time.
While ice may help with the pain you’re feeling, it should cause any adverse side effects. Therefore, consult your dentist if you notice strange itching sensations or more pain.
Barring any complications in this stage, you should recover fully from your tooth extraction in the next 8-10 days.
6. No Straws
There’s a place for eating well and staying hydrated in your recovery from tooth extraction. But it’s important to monitor your drinking habits during your recovery. Our tips for faster recovery after a tooth extraction include drinking room-temperature fluids, and only in small quantities at a time.
Hot drinks have dissolving effects on the all-important blood clot in your mouth. Conversely, cold drinks can have a nasty, shocking effect on the tender areas in your mouth.
It’s also important to avoid drinking with a straw. The sucking action a straw demands can irritate the wound site and cause a dry socket. The standard recommendation is to stay away from straws for 8 days after your tooth extraction procedure.
7. Avoid Drinking and Smoking
Smoking requires a sucking action that increases the risk of dry socket. The science also proves smoking after a tooth extraction is a bad idea. The carcinogenic chemical in cigarette fumes can delay your healing process.
We understand that suddenly quitting cigarettes can be a challenge for some people. You can discuss options like nicotine patches and how soon you can start smoking with your dentist.
The same level of abstinence is required for alcohol, especially if you want to recover from the tooth extraction quickly. Alcohol and medicines are a bad combination. Similarly, alcohol can dissolve the blood clot, causing a setback in your recovery and healing.
8. Avoid Rinsing Your Mouth
Rinsing your mouth cleans it and is usually a great idea on an average day. The opposite is the case when you’re recovering from a tooth extraction procedure.
Forceful rinsing is a mouth action that can disturb the wound site or dislodge the blood clot. It’s better not to spit or rinse your mouth for the next 24 hours after your treatment.
And even after this timeline elapses, gentle rinsing is better. Use a soothing saline solution and anti-bacterial mouthwash recommended by your dentist.
9. Be Wary of Infections
Like any other surgical procedure, a tooth extraction comes with a high risk of infection. This infection can cause a bad taste in the mouth, bad breath, pain, and delayed recovery. Therefore, you must follow infection prevention steps diligently.
Your dentist is likely to prescribe an antibiotic dosage after the procedure for starters. It’s up to you to follow the dosage and complete the treatment course.
How long you’ll need to keep using the antibiotics depends on the wound and your immune system. The standard procedure is to prescribe a 7-10 day antibiotics course.
10. Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
Your oral hygiene is critical for infection prevention after a tooth extraction procedure. While the area may be tender following treatment, it’s still important to maintain your oral hygiene. Start by consulting with your dentist about maintaining oral hygiene without damaging the wound site.
You shouldn’t brush or floss the wound site for 2-3 days after the procedure. But you can always remove food debris by rinsing gently with a mild saltwater solution. Gently swish the solution around the surgery site every morning and evening.
Mouthwash with alcohol in it can irritate the blood clot and cause a dry socket. Brush and floss the rest of your mouth two times every day. But be sure to avoid rinsing with an alcohol-based mouthwash.
11. Eating and Diet
The chances of having a non-existent appetite after your treatment are high. But, you must force yourself to eat — for the medication you need and to speed up your recovery.
One of the most effective tips for faster recovery after a tooth extraction is opting for soft food. Foods that require chewing can interfere with your healing by dislodging stitches and blood clots. Instead, you should opt for soft food including:
- Broth
- Smooth soups
- Mashed bananas
- Pudding
- Soup
- Mashed potatoes
- Scrambled eggs
- Yogurt
Stick to your dentist’s diet recommendations. Hot food and drinks can burn the tender surgery site. And avoid food getting wedged in the surgery site.
While drinking soup is one of the most effective tips for faster recovery after a tooth extraction, be careful about its temperature. Avoid hot soup and the slurping motion while drinking soup.
Finally, stay away from the following foods:
- Spicy food
- Seeds and grains
- Berries
- Chewy foods
It’s critical that you don’t rush the healing process. Wait until the pain subsides and you think you can manage it before eating. The more you wait, the faster your wound heals, the quicker you can eat your favourite meals.
Related Article: How Long is Recovery from a Tooth Extraction?
Final Thoughts
The average tooth extraction isn’t a very enjoyable experience. But you can increase the timeline for faster recovery after tooth extraction by following tips like staying in contact with your dentist afterwards.
Above, we’ve covered effective steps to alleviate any pain you feel and reduce the possibility of post-procedure complications. And if you have other questions, we’re always on hand at Osmin Denture to answer your tooth extraction questions.
Get in touch with us today!