What You Must Do If You Have A Tooth Extraction

After an extraction, it's important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process right on the enamel. That's why your dentist will always ask you to bite on a gauze pad for about 30 to 45 minutes after an extraction. If bleeding or oozing of blood continues after you remove the gauze pad, place another gauze pad on the area which is been affected and bite firmly for another 30 minutes. You may have to do this several times before it finally get healed.

After the blood clot has formed, it's important to protect it from been exposed to unclean materials and dirt particules, especially for the next 24 hours. It's important so as to prevent it from:

• drinking alcohol

• smoke and chew tobacco

• suck through a straw

• clean the teeth next to the extraction site

• rinse your mouth vigorously

These activities could dislodge the clot and slow down healing.


Limit yourself to calm activities for the first 24 hours. That is, stay away from undue stress of the body and let it rest. This keeps your blood pressure lower, reduces bleeding, and helps the healing process to be fast.

After the tooth has been extracted, you may feel some pain and have some swelling on your enamel. You can use an ice bag for about (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) to keep this to a minimum temperature. The swelling usually starts to go down after 48 hours of the ice bag placement.

In order to control discomfort after the extraction of your tooth, it is advisable that you take pain medication as recommended by the physicial or the dentist. Don't take medication on an empty stomach or else nausea may result. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time been prescribed to you, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. Also:

• Eat only soft, nutritious foods on the day of the extraction.

• Always avoid hot and spicy foods.

• Never use alcoholic beverages.

• And drink lots of fluids.


You can begin eating normally the next day after the extraction and all other recommendation principles had been followed and strictly adhered to, or if not by then, as soon as it is comfortable for you to swallow a meal with it. Gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water three times a day (put a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, and then gently rinse, swish, and spit). Also, rinse gently after meals so as to help keep food out of the extraction site.


It is of paramount important to go back your normal dental routine after 24 hours. Which should include brushing your teeth and tongue and flossing at least once a day. This will speed up the healing and help keep your breath and mouth fresh. Call to your dental doctor right away if you have severe pain, as a result of heavy bleeding continued swelling after two or three days, or a reaction to the medication. After a few days, you will be feeling fine and can resume your normal activities and duties.


Dry socket is an infection in your tooth socket after a tooth has been extracted. The condition is usually seen to have developed whenever a blood clot fails to form in the socket, or if the blood clot comes loose. Dry socket occurs in approximately 5 percent of all tooth extractions.


Normally, the blood clot that forms after a tooth is removed promotes healing of the tooth, laying the foundation for the growth of new bone tissue which will later result to a new tooth. When dry socket occurs, this blood clot is lost and the infected, inflamed socket will appear empty - and thats the name. Nerves are exposed, and sometimes the bone is visible to be seen in the empty socket.


And the worst part of this is that, may not have symptoms if there would be tooth extraction until 3 to 5 days after the extraction. Then, the condition will manifest itself as severe pain that doesn't subside, often accompanied by what feels like an earache, with intermitent echoing of your in your ear drum causing a noise polution. You may also have an unpleasant taste in your mouth, and bad breath. Call your dentist right away if you notice any symptoms of dry socket. Treatment for dry socket typically includes a gentle rinsing of the socket and dressing the socket with sedative medication as prescribed by a health personnel.