Post Tooth Extraction Guidelines for Caring for Your Mouth

After critical dental procedures like tooth extraction in Pleasanton, you have to be intentional and cautious about how you care for your dental health. The first few weeks will be marked as recovery weeks, which will be pivotal in the result of your oral health in the long run. Your goal should be to ensure your mouth is healing properly and at the expected pace. However, you cannot achieve this on your own. You require the assistance of your dentist in Pleasanton, CA, to guide you through several tips that will help you care for your mouth once you leave the dentist’s office.

What Are Dental Extractions?

They are oral procedures performed by dentists or oral surgeons to forcefully and permanently remove natural teeth. Tooth extractions are a big deal for adults since their teeth do not get to grow back. Besides, removing an adult tooth forcefully is hard because of how deep the roots of teeth go into the jawbone.

Still, teeth extractions near you are necessary treatment protocols that help preserve dental health. Sometimes the best way to protect your oral cavity is by removing one or two of your natural teeth. As such, should a dentist near you recommend removing your natural teeth, the following could be the reasons for it:

  • Severe dental decay – the infection only gets worse if the significantly damaged tooth is not removed. Besides, if the structure of the diseased tooth is too damaged, very little can be done regarding saving it.
  • Impacted wisdom teeth – the last set of molars begin to erupt between the ages of 16 and 25 years. While they should erupt normally, it is not always the case. Many adults have problematic wisdom teeth where part, or the entire tooth, remains stuck underneath the gum tissue. Without extracting it, you experience jaw and gum pain every time you chew.
  • Overcrowded mouth – features an orthodontic problem where the number of teeth in your mouth is too many, relative to their size and the space available in your jawbone. Therefore, your dentist may recommend removing one or two teeth to create room for the rest of them to align properly in your mouth.

Guidelines You Should Consider Post Tooth Extraction

Regardless of the number of teeth that have been removed, you have to be intentional about dental care post tooth extraction procedures. Some extraction wounds may take longer to heal than others, depending on your unique body immune system as well as the location of the wound. Some of the guidelines to follow include:

General Guidelines Immediately After Your Procedure

  • Keep your gauze on for the first few hours to control the bleeding.
  • Take your prescribed pain relievers to help manage the soreness of your wound after the numbing wears off.
  • Cold compress to reduce swelling – use an ice pack wrapped in a piece of cloth and place it on your cheek.
  • Rest – allows your body to concentrate on healing and recovery. Keep your head elevated above the rest of your body to reduce blood pooling around the extraction site.

Eating Guidelines

  • Avoid hard and crunchy foods – they are likely to irritate your gums and cause unnecessary pain on your extraction wound.
  • Avoid eating foods that are too hot lest you sustain a burn on your extraction wound.
  • Do not drink fluids from straws – straws allow air in your mouth at high speeds and pressures that can easily dislodge the blood clot on your wound.
  • Do not smoke or drink alcohol, particularly during the first couple of days after your tooth extraction procedure.
  • Stick to soft foods and drinks especially the first three days after your procedure.
  • Eat healthily – to ensure that your body gets all the necessary nutrients needed for speedy healing.
  • Chew on the side of the mouth away from the extraction site.

Oral Hygiene Guidelines:

  • Swish warm salty water to remove any loose food debris around your extraction site. The salty water will also act as a disinfectant to keep the wound free from harmful bacteria. Be gentle as you swish the water, to prevent dislodging the forming blood clot.
  • Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean your teeth while cautiously catering to the extraction site. You may not feel ready to floss or brush your teeth during the first 3 days after your tooth extraction.