Post Extraction Care
Although post-treatment care will vary depending on the size of the surgical procedure and the location of your tooth, you can usually expect healing within 7 to 10 days. The most important issue in the recovery after tooth extraction; You should do your best to keep the blood clot formed in the area in the first 24 hours stable in the tooth extraction socket. Removing the clot formed in the relevant area may cause a condition called dry socket, which can be very painful after making movements that will destabilize it (spitting, sucking, pouting, etc.).
There are a few things you can do to speed up the healing process after tooth extraction:
- If any, you should take the prescribed medications as your doctor deems appropriate, in the appropriate dose and time.
- Leave the first gauze placed on the extraction site in place until about 30-45 minutes after the procedure. Afterwards, discard the gauze and do not replace it with anything.
- Apply an ice pack to the affected area immediately after the procedure, but only for 10 minutes at a time; Take a 2 minute break between each application. Applying large amounts of cold for a long time can cause frostbite and tissue damage.
- Rest for 24 hours after the procedure and limit the intensity of your activities for the next few days.
- To prevent dislodgement of the blood clot, do not rinse the affected area for 24 hours after the procedure, do not spit, and do not use a straw while drinking.
- After 24 hours, rinse your mouth with antibacterial mouthwashes prescribed by your doctor and/or a warm salt water solution prepared with 1 glass of warm water and half a teaspoon of salt, and gargle.
- Avoid smoking!!
- Support your head with pillows while sleeping, sleeping with 2-3 pillows will make you comfortable throughout the night. Because lying flat and/or lying on the treated area may prolong the healing due to hematoma.
Keep brushing and flossing your teeth to prevent infection, but avoid brushing the extraction site for 2-3 days, especially after the procedure. Because if you can injure and bruise the area, you can cause the stitches to open in the early period. This prolongs the healing process.
What Foods Can You Eat After Tooth Extraction?
We recommend that you eat semi-solid – soft foods during the recovery period.
For example;
- soup
- pudding pudding
- yogurt
- applesauce
- soft macaroni, cheese
- you can add to your ice cream / smoothie diet,
But you should eat them with a spoon.
When consuming all the foods and beverages in your diet, be careful not to be too hot, but to be warm or cold.
Consumption of granular, small-particle foods is not recommended, especially in the first 2-3 days. You should stay away from foods that may injure the scar tissue that may escape into the relevant area and cause infection. (Rice, nuts, hard bread, spicy foods, sesame foods etc.)
As the extraction area heals, you can add more solid foods to your diet, and while you are eating, you can take care to eat and drink with the opposite side of the tooth extraction area. However, it is recommended that you continue this soft food diet for 1 week after the shooting.
Pain Management After Tooth Extraction
A few hours after the shooting, it is very likely that the effect of anesthesia and numbness diminishes; you will feel some discomfort, aches or pains. You may see some discoloration on your face, such as some swelling or even bruising, in the area concerned. Each of these; It is considered quite normal after impacted or complicated tooth extraction surgeries.
The drugs prescribed by your doctor and the painkillers you will use will help reduce these symptoms.
If there is no improvement in your discomfort even two or three days after the extraction, you should notify the surgeon performing the procedure. If you have sudden onset or intensifying pain a few days after the procedure, worsen or experience an unexpected swelling in the relevant area; this may suggest a local infection. In order to rule this out during the recovery period, you should call our clinic and inform your surgeon who performed the procedure.
Appearance
After a 1-2 week recovery period, you will most likely be able to return to a normal diet. New bone and gingiva will begin to form in the extraction area, and after a short time, complete soft tissue regularity will be achieved.
The deficiencies of the teeth other than the impacted wisdom tooth extractions will cause the neighboring teeth to shift over time to the area where the extracted tooth is, and your bite and chewing will be adversely affected.
After tooth extraction; You will experience a serious loss in your chewing activity and aesthetics due to missing teeth. To prevent this from happening; You should make a plan with your dentist, preferably before your tooth extraction. This planning will also include a dental Implant treatment, either a tooth-supported fixed bridge or denture treatment.
ATTENTION!!
Continuation of numbness in the lips and tongue even after 24 hours, significant and increasing pain in the teeth adjacent to the treated area, early opening of the sutures, if any, bruising and/or swelling progressing up to the eye area in the upper jaw and under the neck in the lower jaw, etc. situations such as; It is among the rare complications of surgical tooth extraction, although it may be more common especially in impacted wisdom tooth extraction surgeries.
When you encounter any of these situations, you should share the changes in your general condition with our clinic at shorter intervals and inform your Surgeon about this.
We want your recovery to be as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
It is very important to follow these instructions very carefully. If you have any concerns or questions regarding your progress, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We wish you healthy days.
