What Helps Gums Heal Faster after Extraction?

When you have a tooth extracted, it creates a wound in your gums and alveolar bone. If you don’t care for the extraction site carefully, it can result in severe and painful complications. Understanding how to incorporate precautionary measures before and after tooth removal helps facilitate smooth healing and quick recovery.

The extracted tooth is discarded by the dentist performing the procedure. However, your gums remain in place, making it essential to care for them after tooth removal. Therefore you must follow your dentist’s instructions and use the tips they suggest for proper care of your gums and mouth.

This article provides information on what helps heal your gums after tooth removal. We suggest reading it to gather information if you must have a tooth or two removed for any reason.

Tips to Follow after Tooth Extraction

The dentist in Columbia doesn’t allow you to walk out of their office without providing some tips to follow stringently after the tooth removal process. Some essential tips they recommend are the following:

• Biting On the Gauze: after wisdom tooth extraction, the Columbia dentist places gauze over the surgical site asking you to bite on it tightly. You must keep pressure on the gauze to prevent bleeding. If you experience heavy bleeding, you can reposition the gauze to cover the wound directly. If the gauze becomes saturated with blood and replace it with another. However, you mustn’t change the gauze or spit saliva because it hinders blood clot formation.
• Pain Medications: Use the medications dentist prescribes for relief from the discomfort after the anesthesia wears off. If you don’t receive any prescription, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers for comfort. If the dentist recommends antibiotics ensure that you complete the course without skipping doses.
• Using Ice Packs: Swelling and pain are expected after tooth removal. To help alleviate the discomfort, you can intermittently use ice packs on your cheeks for 15 minutes on and off until 48 hours, before which the ice packs don’t provide any relief.
• Rest: do not consider getting into your regular activities soon after tooth extraction. Instead, relax for at least 24 hours after the procedure elevating your head by using extra pillows when lying down and refraining from getting in physical activity.
• Oral Hygiene: You might find brushing challenging during the initial 24 hours. However, after the period, you can gently brush and floss your teeth and tongue without exerting pressure around the extraction site to prevent dislodging of the blood clot.
• Chlorhexidine Gel: If the Columbia dentist suggests, you can apply chlorhexidine gel to the extraction site the day after the process for quicker healing. The gel prevents bacteria from accumulating near the extraction site while helping reduce pain and discomfort. However, do not consider applying the gel to the vacant tooth socket.

What to Eat after Tooth Extraction?

You might feel hunger pangs striking you soon after walking out of the dentist’s office. However, you must refrain from eating foods or drinking scorching beverages until the anesthesia wears off to prevent soft tissue injuries in your mouth and burns to your tongue and throat.

The anesthesia requires four to six hours to wear off when you can satisfy your hunger pangs by having soft and cold foods like ice cream and other similar varieties to soothe the pain and nourish yourself. You must refrain from having crispy, complex, and chewy foods and remember not to chew on the side of the mouth from where the tooth was extracted.

You can rely on foods like ice cream, smoothies, pudding, gelatin, yogurt, and soups without meat chunks soon after tooth extraction. You can gradually incorporate your regular foods into your diet as your gums start healing.

Besides the foods permitted, you must avoid drinking liquids with straws because the suction creates pressure in the mouth, harmful to the blood clot, and can result in a dry socket. You must also avoid spicy foods, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated drinks after getting a tooth removed.

Routine Checkup After Tooth Extraction

You might think you don’t need routine checkups after tooth extraction because you had the problematic tooth removed and need no further attention from the dentist. Sadly you are mistaken if you continue with the assumption because routine checkups after tooth extractions become necessary to ensure your continued oral health and to determine whether the tooth sockets are healing as expected. Besides the above, you must also maintain proper oral hygiene to ensure you don’t develop infections in the empty tooth sockets, especially if you want to replace the extracted tooth with implants or similar solutions.

All-American Dental receives many patients with dental infections, injuries, et cetera needing tooth removal, asking them questions about what helps gums heal faster after the procedure. As described in this article, the dentists at the practice provide suggestions for quick healing of the gums. If you must have a tooth or two removed, please visit this facility to accomplish your goal and receive comprehensive instructions on recovery.