Another reason people fear dental extraction is that they are left with an open wound and empty socket that is often painful after the effect of local anesthetic wears off and the numbness of the tongue and lips disappear. So, they are instructed by the operating dentist to take a tablet of analgesic (usually NSAID- Ibuprofen 400 mg or Paracetamol 500 mg) which will start showing its effect before the effect of local anesthetic wears off.
Here are some of the things you can do to heal your extraction socket faster. To make things more retentive, Let's tabulate them into DOs and DON'Ts.
Things TO Do:
1. Press hard on the gauze piece for half an hour to apply sufficient pressure on the socket and stop bleeding allowing the formation of blood clot. Minimize speaking for up to 3-4 hours.
2. Take one tablet of Ibuprofen 400 mg or Paracetamol 500 mg immediately after removing the gauze piece. This will alleviate the pain.
3. Take only soft foods for a few days. Eat foods only after cooling them. Excessive hot foods will dissolve the clot and initiate fresh bleeding.
4. Maintain good oral hygiene and brush teeth as usual. But, do not brush over the extraction socket directly.
5. Rinse gently with lukewarm saltwater thrice daily for up to 5-7 days after extraction for lowering the bacterial load and minimizing the chances of infection of the wound site.
Things NOT TO DO:
1. Do not smoke or chew tobacco or drink alcohol for at least 7 days. Smoking will create negative pressure and dislodge the clot which induces fresh bleeding and increases the tendency to have a dry socket which is very painful. It will decrease blood flow and delay healing of the socket.
2. Do not spit for 2-3 days. Swallow all the saliva.
3. Don't eat hard or sticky foods, don't sip beverages with a straw and don't play the wound area with tongue. All these will dislodge the clot.
4. Do not do vigorous exercise for a few days.
It is normal to have some blood-tinged saliva for up to 24 hours. Don't freak out if you notice any. If excessive fresh bleeding continues even after hours, take a clean gauze piece / clean cotton handkerchief and bite on it firmly over the socket for half an hour to control the bleeding.
Contact or visit your dentist if an emergency occurs.
If you take care of the infection and follow these instructions carefully, you will have a speedy recovery from the dental extraction and healing of the extraction socket is uneventful.
