Our teeth are incredibly important to our overall health and wellbeing. Tooth extraction is a very common and sometimes a necessary part of dental care. It’s not pleasant, however, many times it is a far better alternative than letting the offending tooth or teeth remain.
There are many reasons for an extraction
- Wisdom tooth extraction
- Infected tooth
- Damaged teeth that cannot be fixed
- Diseased teeth
If you catch the problem early enough an extraction maybe preventable, but sometimes the tooth is too far gone, and removal is the only viable option.
Day Surgery (hospital surgery) or In Chair extraction
Some dental extractions for wisdom teeth will require day surgery, however, most extractions can take place in a dentist’s chair in a standard appointment time frame.
What’s normal after the tooth extraction?
In the first 24 hours of tooth extraction, you may experience discomfort, bleeding and clotting of the area your tooth was previously. Your dentist or surgeon will instruct you on how to care for your in-chair tooth removal or wisdom teeth extraction recovery such as recommending types of food and how to brush your teeth.
The post-care instructions from your dentist are to ensure your gums and jaw heal in the quickest possible time frame. Pain medication is given at the dentist’s discretion. You may also find ice packs on the outside of the cheek are very helpful. Your dentist may also recommend a mouthwash for yourself to use or just recommend warm salty water. We do not recommend using straws to drink as the sucking motion can make dry socket more likely to occur.
By day 3, your gum swelling should subside and your open wound from extraction will begin to close.
In 7 days, your gums should be very close to being completely healed with minimal sensitivity or pain. These are all signs that your gums are healing nicely and in the expected time frame.
When should I call the dentist?
If your tooth is not healing to the above mentioned time frame, keep an eye out for the following symptoms:
- Fever
- A burning or ‘hot’ sensation in the gum in the area that you had a tooth extraction
- Intense pain in the jaw or gums
- Swelling that does not start to subside 48-72 hours after the extraction
- Excessive bleeding that doesn’t abate
- An unpleasant taste in your mouth that doesn’t go away
- Evidence of pus or discharge in the open socket where the tooth once was.
Should you experience any of these symptoms, call your dentist’s surgery right away to discuss your options. While these symptoms may not mean you have a post-surgery infection, it’s best to ask your dentist straight away.
Your smile is our biggest asset!
To book an appointment, speak to one of our friendly team members on (03) 5443 0063.
277 High St, Golden Square, VIC 3555