Tooth extractions are one of the most common types of oral surgery, and are often required to remove wisdom teeth, or teeth that have been damaged by tooth decay, infection, or gum disease.
Wondering what to expect after you’ve had your tooth extracted at Oak Creek Dental Care? Read on, and we’ll discuss what you can expect as your mouth heals and recovers after the extraction process.
For the first few hours, you likely won’t feel any pain or discomfort, but as your numbing wears off, you will begin to feel some pain. For the first few hours after your surgery, you’ll need to bite down on a gauze pack to ensure your extraction site clots properly.
After your appointment, you can eat whenever you want, but you should stick to soft and liquid foods like pudding, yogurt, and smoothies. This will prevent damage and irritation to the extraction site.
It’s also very important that you avoid disturbing the blood clot forming in the socket. For example, you should not use a straw or spit forcefully for at least 24-48 hours. This can lead to “dry socket,” a condition where the blood clot is dislodged, leading to significant pain and delays in the healing process.
You can brush your teeth, but you should not brush the extraction site. Instead, you can use a warm salt water rinse to clean and sanitize the now-empty socket.
After about 24 hours, bleeding should have mostly stopped. During the next few days, you may experience swelling, bruising, pain, and tenderness near the extraction site. This is normal, and usually peaks and begins to fade after 2-3 days.
During this time, you should rest and avoid heavy exercise and strenuous activity, since exercise and activity can contribute to bleeding, pain, and discomfort.
After about 3 days, you should no longer be bleeding at all. You should still be eating soft foods at this point and you should not brush the extraction site, but you can start eating slightly more firm foods like rice and pasta.
About a week after your procedure, the extraction site will have healed significantly. If you received self-dissolving stitches, they will dissolve on their own. If not, you will need to see Dr. Saleki to have your stitches removed.
At this point, there should be no serious pain or bleeding. You can start eating more solid foods, though you should still avoid chewing on the side of your mouth where your tooth was extracted. You also can start brushing near the extraction site again.
Two weeks after surgery, your extraction site will be almost completely healed. It may feel slightly tender to the touch, but otherwise should feel normal. At this time, you can resume your normal diet and oral hygiene routine. Usually, you do not have to follow any additional special precautions.
If you have a troublesome tooth and suspect you may need an extraction, Dr. Ehsan Saleki is here to help. Come to Oak Creek Dental Care to get the treatment you need. Dr. Saleki can examine your mouth and explore your options for restoring your oral health, including tooth extraction. Contact us today or give us a call at (414) 762-9010 to schedule your appointment in Oak Creek right away.
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