What Happens After your Tooth is Extracted?

Tooth removals are required for a number of reasons. Generally, this treatment is performed to extract wisdom teeth, whether impacted or decayed. Since most people don’t have enough room in their mouth for the wisdom tooth to grow, extraction is often recommended to avoid dental pain, teeth shifting, and other problems. Extractions in 76210 are done with utmost care and diligence to guarantee that no further problem will arise. 

Post-Extraction Timeline 

Side Effects After the Extraction  

If your tooth got extracted due to periodontal disease, advanced tooth decay, or was severely damaged by a traumatic injury, you will feel some side effects after the procedure. However, patients who remove their teeth due to insufficient space in the mouth are not free from these side effects. Some may also feel the following side effects:  

• Soreness 
  
• Tenderness 
  
• Bleeding  
  
• Minor Pain 
  
• Swelling 
  

24 Hours After  

Whatever side effect you experience and the reason you have for the tooth extraction, there are certain things you need to keep in mind during your post-operative care. For instance, in the first 24 hours after your tooth has been extracted, numerous things will happen and taking care of the blood clot and sutures should be your primary concern.  

During the first 24 hours, you should also expect bleeding and minor pain in the surgical site. Your dentist will provide you with prescription medications for a pain reliever. Normally, you’ll be able to get back on the road and return to work about a day after your surgery.   

However, strenuous activities should be avoided. If you’re employed in a job that requires active and strenuous tasks, you should take extra time off.  

You also have to take note that swelling will be at its peak for the first 24 hours.  

Don’t know how to address this concern? Try using ice packs and apply them externally to the face. This should lessen the swelling until it subsides in a few hours.  

2 Days After the Surgery 

It’s normal to experience some soreness and a low-level amount of bleeding after a day or two from surgery. However, it’s imperative to remember that the two days from treatment are crucial to your healing. Dentists and other dental professionals recommend the following tips to help your body recover faster. 

• When resting or sleeping, see to it that you elevate your head. Use additional pillows and prevent the pooling of blood in the mouth, which can prolong your recovery period. 
  

• Avoid drinking through straws and smoking. The suction needed to drink through a straw or to puff on cigarette produces pressure in your mouth that can lead to complications with your blood clot. It’s critical to stay away from both straws and cigarettes during the recovery process.  
  

• Take the pain medications prescribed by your dentist. Depending on your medical history, your dentist may prescribe medications with high dosage. Nonetheless, over-the-counter pain relievers can typically do the job. 
  

• Get a lot of rest. Whether you underwent a minor or major surgery, getting enough rest is always important.  
  

3 Days After Tooth Removal 

After about three days, your tooth socket may have already healed. Although you may still feel some swelling, it should be minimal at this point. Likewise, there should no longer be bleeding. In case there is still bleeding, contact your dentist to see if your tooth socket may still be healing or it’s been infected.  

The following are additional hygiene procedures you can perform to keep your mouth healthy and clean:  

• Eating Soft Foods - Before your scheduled tooth extraction treatment, you have to plan out your meals. Eating soft foods during the recovery period is important so you can avoid food particles from injuring or getting trapped in your tooth socket. Examples of the food you can eat are applesauce, yogurt, and soups. 
  

• Brush and Floss – You can already brush your teeth two days after the tooth removal. However, flossing should be done only after three days. Instead of brushing or flossing while your tooth socket is still healing, you can use warm water with salt or saline rinse to clean your mouth. This will prevent bacteria from growing in the surgical site that may cause infection. 
  

Two to Three Weeks After the Extraction 

After two weeks, the tissue at the extraction site is still tender and highly vascular. Although your tooth socket has completely healed by this time, it is still vulnerable to rupture and infection. You may still feel some tenderness but there should no longer be any bleeding or significant pain. 

Safe and Reliable Extractions in 76210 

The post-operative tooth extraction timeline above is just a general overview based on the experiences of patients. This may still vary depending on the dental health and healing capacity of your body. Do you think you need help in coping with your post-op extraction? Contact Texas Oral Surgery Group to get in touch with our experienced and reputable dentists!