You survived the scary experience of having your tooth or teeth extracted (pulled). Congratulations. You are half way there. What? What could that possible mean, only half way? What could possibly be left for you to do? The answer is simple. You must heal and you must heal properly to be assured of less pain. One simple way of doing this is by avoiding certain things.
Knowing what things to avoid can be simple. One way of doing this is by reading the detailed list, papers or brochure that was more than likely given to you as you left your dentist office. These papers are important. For one thing they will tell you about the proper instructions on how to take care of your mouth such as:
Rinsing your mouth twice a day with salt water. You should use about one half of tablespoon of salt per twelve ounces of water. The water should not taste like salt. If it does, it is too strong and can burn your delicate skin.
What types of pain medications you should take and how often. This will include both prescribed medication and over the counter medications.
The list should also tell you what to avoid. The reasons these items are added to your list is because it is important to adhere to them. If you don’t, you can suffer more pain and more suffering. The main problem is the fact that these lists do not explain why you should avoid them. For this reason, many of us do not adhere to the advice and do as we like and pay for it later.
The most common things to avoid after a tooth or teeth extraction and the reason as to why we should avoid them are as follows:
Cigarettes
Actually, it is the action of smoking the cigarettes that we need to avoid. There are several reasons as to why we need to do this.
First, the physical act of smoking itself can irritate the fragile gums, which is trying to repair (regrow new cells).
Secondly, the actions of sucking and releasing smoke can lead to dry socket of the mouth. Dry socket is a painful condition that can mean another surgery.
Cigarettes should be avoided for at least 4 days after a tooth or teeth extraction. If you can manage to go longer, that is even better.
Drinking from a straw
Just as smoking can lead to dry socket, so can drinking from a straw. Again, you don’t want to endure this painful condition.
Drinking carbonated beverages (soda)
This may seem strange. But carbonated beverages can burn your fragile gums. This burning will hurt, plus it can slow down healing of the gums.
You should avoid these beverages for at lease 3 to 4 days after the tooth or teeth extraction.
Drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages
The alcohol itself can burn the fragile gums. It can especially burn your gums within the first 3 to 5 days after the tooth or teeth extraction. Yet, it could still cause some burning anytime within the first 30 days after the extraction.
The higher the alcohol content of the drink the more chance that burning can occur.
Ice
Yes, ice should be applied during the first 24 hours after a tooth or teeth extraction. But after that coldness could slow down the healing process and slow down the rate the blood clots. Use heat, if any additional swelling occurs.
Medication
Use only the medication prescribed to you or suggested for you to use. Do not use any other over the counter products, especially Ambezol, Oragel, etc.
There are a number of Home remedies that your friends or your family may suggest to you. You can even find them online. But do not try them until you talk to your doctor. You can cause serious harm to your mouth, including pain and burning.
Remember the steps and actions you take now can either speed up your healing process or prohibit and cause more pain.
