What Should I Do After A Tooth Extraction? Our Instructions & Advice

If you’re having a tooth extracted at Shine Dental, you may be wondering what to expect and what to do after your appointment with Dr. Miller. So we’ve put together a quick guide to what you can expect from the tooth extraction process, and instructions on how to recover from your surgery. Learn more below. 

The Tooth Extraction Process & Immediate Aftercare

Your mouth will be cleaned and numbed before your surgery begins, and you’ll also be sedated. Then, Dr. Miller will use special tools to extract your tooth, and she will stitch up the extraction site and clean it so that it can heal properly.

Then, you’ll be sent home. You will start to experience some pain and discomfort within a few hours after your appointment as the numbing wears off. You will need to avoid smoking, using a straw, or rinsing your mouth for at least 24 hours.

You can eat within an hour after your surgery,  but you should only eat liquid foods or very soft foods, like smoothies, yogurt, and pudding. Get plenty of rest. Go home and take things easy, and let yourself heal and recover. If you’re bleeding, change out your gauze pack regularly. Over-the-counter medicine like acetaminophen and ice packs can help with pain and discomfort. 

What To Do 24-48 Hours After Your Surgery

After 24 hours, you can start rinsing your mouth with salt water. Mix ½ tsp salt with 8oz warm water. Rinse frequently, but don’t spit forcefully. You can also brush your other teeth, but make sure to avoid the extraction site.

You’ll still want to stick to liquid or soft foods during this time. You should avoid exercise and exertion for up to 3 days to avoid bleeding, nausea, and dizziness. If possible, we recommend taking some time off of work or school. 

What To Do 3-7 Days After Your Surgery

After about 3-4 days, most of your pain will begin to subside, and you may also notice reductions in swelling and bruising. Bleeding, if present at all, will be very minimal. If you continue to experience a lot of discomfort up to a week after surgery, this is not normal, and you should see your dentist for a follow-up.

At this time, you can usually resume light exercise, and you may consider adding foods into your diet that require more chewing.

What To Do 1-2 Weeks After Your Surgery

About a week after surgery, you may be able to introduce harder foods into your diet, but you should still avoid very crunchy foods like nuts, chips, and so on. Your extraction site should not feel very painful, and bone and gum tissue will be growing to cover it up. The site should be fully healed within 2 weeks.

You will usually come to see Dr. Miller for a follow-up during this time. She will check on your healing progress and remove any remaining stitches, if necessary. 

Follow Dr. Miller’s Instructions To Heal & Recover Quickly

It’s important to note that the above instructions are not comprehensive, but are more general guidelines for recovery. Dr. Miller will give you a more detailed set of instructions, and may ask you to do different things while you recover depending on your specific situation, so make sure to follow her directions carefully.
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And if you have a painful tooth in Sunbury and think that an extraction may be the right option for you, Dr. Miller is here to help. Contact us online or give us a call at 740-936-3083 for a consultation at Shine Dental.