Archive for October, 2008
Healing Phase
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After a tooth has been extracted there will be a resulting hole in our jawbone where the tooth was. Healing process can take many weeks or months. This will smooth and fill in with bone. During the healing time, some bleeding may occur . By placing a piece of moist gauze over the empty tooth socket and biting down firmly for 30 minutes can control this. One of the most important part of the healing is to prevent blood clots that form in the empty socket. Avoid rinsing for 24 hours after the extraction and avoid using straws, smoking or drinking hot beverages. If you experience pain and swelling, try to use non-prescription pain relief medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen matched with an ice pack. For most extractions just make sure you do your chewing away from the extraction site. A liquid diet may be recommended for 24 hours.Avoid brushing the teeth near the extraction site for one day. After that you can resume gentle cleaning. Commercial mouth wash tends to irritate the extraction site, use salt water instead, (1/2 teaspoon in a cup of water) after meals and before bed. These post-operative extraction guide will reduce the chances of developing pain. After 1- 2 weeks you should no longer notice any inconvenience.