Learning to Take Better Care of Your Family's Teeth

Recovering From Having A Tooth Extracted

Having a tooth removed can be a major dental procedure for a person to go through, but it can be unavoidable when a tooth has suffered extensive damage that may not be easily repaired. In these situations, there are several things that patients will need to do to make sure that their tooth extraction recovery goes as smoothly as possible.

Reduce The Risk Of Infection By Keeping The Extraction Site Clean

The extraction site will need to be kept as clean as possible. When this site is allowed to become dirty, the risk of a patient developing a serious infection can substantially increase. If this infection develops, it will be capable of spreading to the surrounding areas of the mouth, which could make it harder to treat and even lead to the loss of other teeth. As part of the process of cleaning the extraction site, you will have to regularly change any gauze that is used to limit bleeding and use a sanitizing mouthwash that can prevent bacteria from growing in the wound until it has healed.

Be Mindful Of What You Eat For The First Several Days Following The Extraction

During the first several days following the dental extraction, it is necessary to be mindful of the foods that you are eating. Foods that are fairly hard can be strong enough to irritate and even cut the wound, which can significantly slow the healing process. Luckily, your gums will heal very quickly following a tooth extraction, but it is still necessary to make sure you are limiting yourself to eating soft foods during the first few days following the extraction. In addition to eating soft foods, you should also avoid using a straw. The force of suction that the straw produces can be enough to dislodge the scab that will form on the extraction site. This type of dry socket can be extremely painful, and it will greatly slow the healing process.

Attend Your Scheduled Follow-Up With Your Dentist

After the extraction procedure, your dentist will likely recommend you to attend a follow-up visit several days to a week after the extraction. This follow-up visit is often a part of the recovery process that people will want to skip. Yet, this can be a mistake as this visit can allow for infections to go untreated until they become severe. Luckily, this follow-up visit will be extremely short, and if a problem is found, your dentist will be able to provide you with the medications to alleviate the infection or to perform an additional treatment on the infected extraction site.


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