Tooth extraction is an inevitable process when you fail to protect your teeth from decay or if your wisdom teeth grow at an improper angle creating difficulties. This process is pretty common amongst adults; we understand the emotional turmoil if you are going to go through this for the first time. Do not worry; stay with us till the end to know everything about tooth extraction, its recovery time, do’s and don’ts, etc.
Tooth extraction is a simple and safe process that does not require a very long healing time. The time span lasts from 1 to 2 weeks on the whole if proper care is taken. Here are some tips to ease your recovery from tooth extraction.
Adequate Resting
Oral procedures are thought to be minimally invasive, so people do not get much rest after this. However, adequate resting, just like after any other surgery, is a must for apt healing. Avoid strenuous workouts or any task that requires bending over or heavy lifting. Why so? Because there is a significant increase in the blood pressure towards your head, causing bleeding at the surgical site.
If it happens anyway, manage post-surgical bleed and swelling via resting with your head on a pillow. How does this help? Well, this position allows the blood to flow away from the site, reducing inflammation.
Soft Food Diet
Your diet has more impact on every aspect of your body than you think. It provides vitamins and minerals to accentuate cell renewal and wound healing. After tooth extraction during the recovery period, avoid hard-to-eat, crunchy, or chewy items to reduce irritation and displacement of blood scabs.
A soft, balanced diet allows nutrition to enter without hurting the soft tissues around the surgical site. As for the first few days, have fruit smoothies, soup or broth, yogurt, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, etc.; these are the best nutritious options.
Do not Suck Via Straws or Smoke a Cigarette
Sucking action through a straw or smoking builds up pressure in your mouth that may displace the blood clot from the tooth socket. That scab or clot is essential for the healing process. If it dislodges, you are at risk of suffering from a painful condition which is a dry socket. This condition moves on to infections, deteriorate jaw bone, and damage nerves.
Cold Items
Swelling in the recovery journey after a tooth extraction is very common and lasts for about a week after the procedure while reaching its threshold on day 3. Increased swelling causes issues in the healing process, thereby extending the recovery period.
Swelling is manageable by the application of a cold pack on the affected area of your face for 15 minutes in short intervals. The cold numbs the entire area and cuts blood flow for some time as well. However, cold therapy only shows the effect for the first 48 hours of extraction.
Use Over-the-Counter Medications
OTC medicines come into play as soon as the anesthetic effect wears off. The site of extraction, whether or not it is a wisdom tooth or any other, has pain and discomfort; and medicines such as Tylenol work well in this case.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
You may think, how is brushing and flossing a good idea after the removal of a tooth? Although it is not right to brush or floss the site for at least 1 or 2 days, you can still get rid of food debris and prevent infection. After a week, continue with your regime and brush and floss your teeth twice per day.
Prop Your Head Up
Lying flat can increase the healing time so keep your head up with the help of a pillow for ease.
Conclusion
If you are searching for a professional to get your tooth extracted, reach out to the best dentist in Bakersfield at Gateway Family Dentistry. Call at 661 829 7905 to schedule an appointment today.