After having a tooth pulled, you should take precautions to prevent dry socket. Painful dry socket can develop in the days following a tooth extraction. The condition can be treated, but avoiding it would be preferable.
A blood clot grows over the tooth socket to preserve the bone and nerves after a tooth is extracted. Clots don’t always form or can break loose. In the absence of a blood clot, the bone and nerve near the extraction site become painfully and potentially infected and exposed.
If you want to avoid dry socket after having a tooth extracted, follow these guidelines:
Leave the Cigarettes Alone
The suction created by lighting up can help break up the clot. The use of any form of tobacco retards the healing process, including smoking and chewing tobacco. Those who smoke should be forthright with their Los Gatos TMJ dentist. If you want to maintain smoking after having teeth pulled, you should probably ask about nicotine patches.
Be Careful What You Put in Your Mouth and Into Your System
For a few days after your extraction, you’ll need to be especially careful with what you put in your mouth. To lessen the likelihood of getting a dry socket:
- Avoid using a straw, as doing so may cause the clot to become dislodged.
- Foods that are firm, sticky, or chewy should be avoided, and soft foods should be eaten instead.
- Please refrain from chewing on the extracted tooth.
- Put down the booze
- For at least 24 hours after getting a blood clot, you shouldn’t drink alcohol or use an alcohol-based mouthwash.
Take Care to Brush Your Teeth Gently
Avoid aggressive rinsing and clean your teeth and tongue gently. For at least 24 hours after the extraction, you should avoid brushing the area around the surgical site.
Take a Nap
In the first 24 hours following a tooth extraction, it is recommended that you relax as much as possible. This little break helps the blood coagulate and slows the bleeding.
Don’t Forget to Share Your Medication Information with the Dentist!
Your dentist may advise you to schedule an extraction when your estrogen levels are at their lowest if you take a certain type of birth control that increases your risk of dry socket. You should tell your dentist about any other medications you take, as they may affect your blood’s capacity to clot.
