It’s an awful feeling when one of your teeth becomes unsalvageable and needs to be removed. You feel bad about losing a part of yourself and, at Smilemakers, your dentist in Southampton, we are concerned because our main aim is to make sure you have your teeth for life.
But sometimes, we all have to bow to the inevitable and extract a tooth. What happens after that? Here’s a list of things to do after you go home:
Rest up
Your dentist in Southampton has just removed a body part. The best thing you can do when you get home is to rest up. Go to bed and get some sleep, or at least curl up and watch a movie. Prop yourself up though. The more you can keep your head up, the less bleeding there will be.
Remember you are numb
You may be numb from the anaesthetic for quite a while and, during this time, it is best to avoid hot or cold foods and drinks as you will not be able to feel the temperature and could burn or scald your mouth. If you do eat something, you need to be very careful not to bite your cheek by mistake.
Don’t lose your blood clot
For at least the first 24 hours, it is a good idea to avoid rinsing so that the area can have a chance to heal. There will be a blood clot over your socket. You need to let it stay there and not dislodge it with your tongue or with food. If you do dislodge it, the empty socket will be exposed and vulnerable to bacterial infection.
Don’t drink or smoke
It’s tempting to take away any pain with a tot of the strong stuff, but alcohol can encourage bleeding and delay the healing process. Smoking cigarettes will increase your blood pressure and could lead to further bleeding. Avoid smoking for as long as you possibly can after an extraction. As your dentist in Southampton, we suggest that this is great time to give up smoking altogether.
Careful brushing
Be very careful when you brush your teeth. You need to keep your mouth clean but avoid brushing round the extraction site.
