Tooth extraction is essential when a tooth has been seriously decayed, cracked, or broken beyond repair. Your tooth may also be affected by a severe periodontal disease, an infection, or an abscess. Furthermore, you may need a tooth extraction before receiving an orthodontic treatment to eliminate teeth overcrowding, creating sufficient room for the remaining to move into the proper position.
Luckily, modern dentistry methods have made tooth extraction more straightforward than ever. However, some complications during or after the procedure are still inevitable. To help you learn what to expect during the healing process, we have provided a breakdown of potential problems you might experience after tooth extraction and what you can do to ease those issues.
Bone Loss
When you chew a piece of food and bite it down, your tooth roots stimulate your jaw bone to keep it robust and healthy. If you lose a tooth, your jaw bone loses the stimulation and starts to be reabsorbed by your body in that location. The loss of bone density weakens your jaw bone and may even affect the form of your face over time, making it seem sunken-in.
Socket preservation is a measure taken by many dentists after a tooth extraction to help prevent bone loss in your jaw. The process involves utilizing a collagen plug or a bone graft to fill the hole, encouraging the bone to restore the defect and grow to fill the hole your tooth left. This process can significantly strengthen your jaw bone and be especially helpful for ensuring that there is sufficient bone density for a future dental implant. However, it is advisable to discuss the issue with your dentist beforehand to get appropriately informed about the potential benefits and drawbacks it may bring to your health, particularly considering your unique oral health background.
Bleeding
After tooth extraction, the site will typically bleed for up to 24 hours. However, the bleeding will be reduced after the first four hours. Before leaving the office, your dentist will generally place gauze over the area, which you must bite down on to keep it in place. Hold the gauze over the extraction area for at least 30 minutes after your operation, removing it only if you need to replace it with fresh gauze before it gets soaked in blood. Remember that over-the-counter pain killers like Ibuprofen and Aspirin thin your blood, which can provoke your bleeding or cause it to continue longer. It is usually wise to avoid these pain killers and opt for other alternatives like Tylenol.
Another point to consider is that lying flat can also cause your bleeding to last longer. Therefore, it is better to hold your head up on pillows when resting or going to sleep. You must also be cautious with your eating to avoid irritating the area. Stick to soft foods such as apple sauce and yogurt while keeping anything hard, chewy, or crunchy away. The bleeding will usually lessen and stop sooner if you follow these instructions, but if it lasts longer than 24 hours or is still intense after four hours, you need to contact your dentist to get some help.
Dry Socket
Dry socket is a condition that arises when the blood clot created over the extraction falls out. This clot preserves the nerve tissue and underlying bone while your gums heal. Therefore, dry socket is generally very painful. Despite being one of the most common problems after a tooth extraction, it is often avoidable. What you have to do is avoid movements that could displace the clot, especially by disturbing the site with your tongue, doing strenuous activities, or actions that create severe suction in your mouth.
You should also avoid rinsing your mouth out, drinking alcohol, or smoking for the first 24 hours after your tooth extraction. These activities may disturb the clot, leading to a painful dry socket. It is also advisable to avoid eating sticky food that could get stuck in the extraction site and disturb the clot. As soon as the blood clot is done with its job, it will automatically fall out. The time, however, differs for every patient but generally occurs around seven to ten days after the procedure.
Swelling
Following a tooth extraction, it is normal for you to suffer a slight swelling at the extraction site for a few days. Once again, it is advisable to have soft foods to avoid irritating the area. You can also lessen the amount of swelling by applying ice to your jaw three times a day for about fifteen minutes each time. You can do this for the first three days. Remember not to hold the ice on too long since it can result in poor circulation and make your pain more severe. Allow at least half an hour between ice applications to give your facial tissues time to warm up. The swelling should start going down three after the tooth extraction but will generally take five to seven days to be entirely gone.
Infection
Infection is one of the most prevalent complications of tooth extractions. However, if you carefully clean the site and follow your dentist’s instructions, you can minimize the risks of getting one. Once it has been 24 hours since the extraction, you should start rinsing your mouth out gently with saltwater to promote healing and help fight bacteria. Brush and floss your teeth as usual, but remember to avoid disturbing the extraction area.
Notice that any kind of tobacco use undermines your immune system and decelerates the healing process, making you more vulnerable to infections. Therefore, it is best to avoid smoking during the healing process. Instead, switching to a nicotine patch for a few days may help while you heal. Prescribing antibiotics by your dentist might also reduce your chances of infection, but that is not always essential.