Don't rinse for the first 24 hours, and this will help your mouth to start healing. After this time use a salt-water mouthwash, which helps to heal the socket. A teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water gently rinsed around the socket twice a day can help to clean and heal the area.
Do not directly brush the extraction site for the first 3-4 days after surgery to prevent dislodging of the blood clot from the socket. Don't use any toothpaste. Rinsing toothpaste from your mouth could remove the blood clot. Instead this area can be gently and carefully wiped with a clean, wet gauze pad or cloth.
Brush Carefully
To be on the safe side, don't brush or rinse the mouth in the first 24 hours after the tooth extraction procedure. Thereafter, brush with care and don't allow the toothbrush to get close to the extraction site. Also, don't swish water, mouthwash or any oral care fluid in your mouth.
DO NOT rinse your mouth for the first 24 hours after surgery. After that, rinse gently with the oral rinse, if prescribed by your doctor, or with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water) 2-3 times a day for 1 week.
Keeping your mouth clean after oral surgery is essential. Keep using warm salt-water rinses to rinse your mouth at least 2-3 times daily for the next seven days. Begin your normal tooth brushing routine the following day.
Aim to rinse with salt water three to four times per week. Doing too many salt rinses can cause gum irritation, bleeding, and enamel erosion. If you've recently had a tooth pulled, wait 24 hours before using a salt water rinse.
Approximately an hour after surgery, you may remove the gauze sponges your surgeon placed in your mouth so that you're able to eat. Stick to soft foods the first 24 hours after surgery and avoid all hot or cold ones.
Signs of infection after extraction
Instead of the pain getting better from the extraction, it gets worse. The bleeding continues for more than 24 hours. Experiencing an unpleasant or foul smell coming from the mouth. Seeing discharge in or around the area.
To keep your mouth clean, Dr. Chang recommends you gently – not rigorously – rinse your mouth with warm water at least 5-6 times a day, especially after eating meals. These gentle mouth rinses will help clear any food debris from your mouth, without having to worry about brushing around sensitive surgical sites.
Avoid brushing around the extraction. And don't use any toothpaste. Rinsing toothpaste from your mouth may dislodge the blood clot. Do keep the extraction site clean.
Keep gauze on the surgical area with some pressure (biting) for 30–45 minutes. Remove the gauze after 30–45 minutes and replace it with a new piece of gauze if you are still bleeding. It is important to make sure the gauze is directly on the surgical site.
While every patient heals at a slightly different pace, most people can begin drinking small amounts of coffee around 5 days after an extraction. If all goes well, within two weeks any swelling should subside and your mouth should be mostly healed. At that point, you can return to drinking your normal amount of coffee.
You should drink plenty of water after your tooth extraction to keep the extraction site clear and prevent infection. Remember to not drink through a straw, though, since the sucking motion can disturb the extraction site.
Rinsing your mouth immediately after tooth extractions can cause the blood clot that forms to become dislodged. When this occurs, a dry socket forms, which is a very painful post-op condition. Rinsing prematurely can cause other complications like drying out the extraction site and preventing a clot from forming.
After about 3 days, the empty tooth socket will have mostly healed. There should be no more bleeding present, and swelling should be minimal at this point. You may still experience some tenderness or soreness, but you should no longer feel pain or discomfort.
Your body is using energy to heal itself, so you may feel more tired than usual – this is perfectly normal.
Tooth extractions in adulthood are sometimes a necessary measure to stop pain and save your dental health. Antibiotics are not always administered after an oral surgery, since your mouth does a good job at cleaning itself with good bacteria, and antibiotics often destroy good bacteria along with the bad bacteria.
Some patients who undergo tooth extraction may want to take a day off from work just to make sure they can rest well and address the immediate side effects of the procedure. Other patients may not need to spend a day recovering and will be able to return to work the next day so long as it is not physically demanding.
One of the healthiest meals you can eat, usually for breakfast, porridge is a great option. It's easy to make, soft enough to eat, flavourful if you add some jam, sugar or syrup and it's very nutritious. Just make sure you cook it until it's really soft for the easiest consumption.
A teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water gently rinsed around the socket twice a day can help to clean and heal the area. Keep this up for at least a week or for as long as your dentist tells you. It is important to keep to a healthy diet; and take a Vitamin C supplement, which will help your mouth to heal.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, the high alcohol content in some mouthwashes can irritate your mouth, particularly your gums. Saltwater rinses can be safer alternatives while also killing bacteria and keeping your mouth clean.
Tip #1: Salt Water Rinse
Be careful to use gentle swishing motions. Too much force while swishing the salt water could irritate and possibly lead to a dry socket.