Advice after extraction. Dos and don'ts!

Sit down for couple of minutes after extraction so you and your body can calm down.

Don’t smoke for the first 24 hours at least! Smoking lessens the blood flow to the mouth and healing becomes slower.

Also for the first 24 hour you should avoid exercise or sternous physical activities. This keeps your blood pressure lower, reduces bleeding and helps the healing process.

After an extraction a clot will form in the hole left by the tooth. It is important not to disturb the clot, as it may cause the socket to start bleeding again. Therefore try avoiding by sticking your tongue in the socket and avoid rinsing your mouth for couple of hours.

Six hours after the extraction, add half a teaspoonful of salt to a glass of warm water and gently rinse your mouth. This will keep the socket clean and prevent infection. This process should be repeated after meals and before bed for up to a week You can use Corsodyl mouthwash to rinse as well. Continue with this routine for 7 days

To keep your mouth clean you should continue with your normal dalily routine of brushing your teeth with toothpase

After an extraction it is quite common for small pieces of bone to work their way out of the socket and for there to be some swelling or discomfort

If you feel any pain after extraction you may find that taking pain killers can generally give you relief. Paracetamol is the usual recommended pain killer if not interfering with your present medical condition / medication. Make sure you are not allergic to it and use the recommended dose

If the bleeding does not stop you can either use clean cotton handkerchiefs or some gauze or pads as described underneath:

A) Roll some small firm pads into a size that will fit over the socket
B) Remain sitting up and use the gauze or handkerchief to clean away any blood around the socket
C) You should then place a pad across the socket and bite down on it for 10 to 15 minutes. If it has not stopped bleeding you should apply another pad

If the bleeding has not stopped within two hours, you should contact your dentist during surgery hours and for out of hours help use the emergency dentist or A&E.

Eat only soft, nutritious foods on the day of the extraction (i.e. cold sandwiches, pudding and juice/ water) .Avoid hot and spicy or chewy foods for a while!

Avoid eating on the side of the mouth where you have the tooth extracted.
Rinse gently after meals. This helps keep food out of the extraction site. .

Swelling and pain remaining after 3-4 days is a sign of possible infection in the extraction site (dry socket) and may require a course of antibiotics.