Orchard House Dental Practice

It is just as important, if not more so, to keep your mouth clean after an
extraction. However, you do need to be careful around the extraction
site.

The first thing to remember is that there may be some slight bleeding for the first day or so. Many people are concerned about the amount of bleeding. This is due to the fact that a small amount of blood is mixed with a large amount of saliva, which looks more dramatic than it is. If you do notice bleeding, do not rinse out, but apply pressure on the socket. Bite firmly on a folded piece of clean cotton material such as a handkerchief for at least 15 minutes. Make sure this is placed directly over the extraction site and that the pad is replaced if necessary. If the bleeding has not stopped after an hour or two, contact your dentist.

It is important not to do anything which will increase your blood pressure, as this can lead to further bleeding. We recommend that you avoid smoking for as long as you can after the extraction, but this should be at least for the rest of the day.

Different people heal at different speeds after an extraction. It is important to keep your mouth and extraction site as clean as possible, making sure that the socket is kept clear of food and debris. Don’t rinse for the first 24 hours, and this will help your mouth to start healing. After this time use a saltwater mouthwash which helps to heal the socket. A teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water gently rinsed around the socket area twice a day can help to clean and heal the area. Keep this up for at least a week or as long as the dentist tells you.

There will usually be some tenderness in the area for the first few days, and in most cases, simple pain relief is enough to ease the discomfort. What you would normally take for a headache should be enough. However, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and if in doubt check with your doctor first. Do not take aspirin, as this will make your mouth bleed.

As we have said, it is important not to use anything containing aspirin as this can cause further bleeding. This happens because aspirin thins the blood slightly. Asthma sufferers should avoid Ibuprofen-based pain relief. Again check with your chemist or dentist if you are worried or feel you need something stronger.

Sometimes an infection can get in the socket, which can be very painful. This is where there is little or no blood clot in the tooth socket and the bony socket walls are exposed and become infected. This is called a dry socket and in some cases is worse than the original toothache! In this case, it is important to see your dentist, who may place a dressing in the socket and prescribe a course of antibiotics to help relieve the infection. You may also feel the sharp edge of the socket on your tongue and sometimes small pieces of bone may work their way to the surface of the socket. This is perfectly normal.

If it has been a particularly difficult extraction, the dentist will give you a follow–up appointment. This could be to remove any stitches that were needed or simply to check the area is healing well.