If you have, or are about to, go through with a tooth extraction, you are not alone in feeling hesitant. The idea of someone having to literally pull something out of your face is a thought that should give anyone a little bit of doubt. However, once you go through the process, it’s the post-extraction phase that can scare a lot of people.
To help you better understand what is taking place, here are five things to expect after a tooth extraction has been carried out. Here’s what to look out for post-treatment.
You might need painkillers
Once the anaesthetic wears off, it is likely that you are going to feel a bit of a tenderness and sense of pain in your mouth. It’s natural – someone did just pull a tooth out of your mouth, to be fair. So, you should look to take the prescribed painkillers to try and dull the pain because it might linger for a while – even a few days after the treatment.
Healing should finalise after 7-10 days, but you might need some treatment ‘til then.
You will need plenty of rest
Don’t assume that you can get your teeth ripped out and then head back to work right away. In most cases, you will need at least 24 hours of rest and 48 hours of limited work. You might need to try and work this out with your boss, but if your job is in any way stressful you should try and get time off to allow for proper healing.
Don’t remove the gauss
A quick tip, too; when you finish the treatment, you will be given a gauss pad. This is to soak up any of the blood that might be coming out from the extracted area. With that being the case, you should look to keep the gauss and give yourself a better chance of solving the problem. At the very least, keep that gauss in place for at least four hours after the treatment.
Use an ice pack
If the extraction was pretty intense, then you should apply an ice pack to the exterior of the effected area for around 5-10 minutes at a time. Avoid any times in excess of 10 minutes, though, as the intensity of the coldness can lead to nerve damage in the area that has been worked on.
With an ice pack, though, you can give yourself a bit of extra protection and padding from the intensity and the dullness of the pain, which can be very useful for recovery.
Rinse your mouth out
After 24 hours from treatment, you should look to rinse your mouth out with a salt solution. A half-teaspoon of salt with some warm (not roasting) water should be good enough to help you cleanse and rinse out your mouth. This is great for helping to further cleanse the wound that was caused by the teeth being extracted.
Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll soon find yourself dealing with a far more comfortable experience regarding a tooth extraction!
