Post Extraction Advice

• Avoid cycling or excessive exercise for several hours. Ideally, rest by sitting in a chair and use an extra pillow for the first night.
• Do not drink anything alcoholic for 24 hours and avoid smoking.
• Take any pain-killing tablets as advised by your dentist. Follow any instructions regarding dosage carefully.
• After twenty-four hours rinse your mouth gently with a warm salt solution (a level teaspoon of salt to a cup of water) and continue after meals and before bed for seven days, or as advised by your dentist.
• You may feel the sharp edge of a socket with your tongue and occasionally small fragments of bone may work their way out. This is normal.
• Try not to disturb the socket with your tongue, by eating food on that side, or by vigorous rinsing. This will delay the healing process and may lead to infection.
• If excessive bleeding occurs:
  • Use some clean linen or gauze about 1½” (4cm) wide to make a roll of 1”(2.5cm) thick, thus forming a firm pad, or use a clean handkerchief. Make a few such pads if necessary.
  • Keep sitting up and clear the mouth of loose blood clots with a clean linen square or tissue so that you can find where the socket is bleeding. This is important.
  • Place the pad across the bleeding socket from the tongue to the cheek side. If the socket is between two standing teeth constrict the pad to fit.
  • Bite firmly to compress the pad on the bleeding socket for at least 20 minutes. Avoid lying down.
  • Inspect the socket and replace the pad, or use another one, if bleeding still appears from the socket.
  • If your efforts are unsuccessful after an hour or two contact your Dentist. Before doing so, however, ensure that you have continuously placed direct pressure on the socket without removing the pad to investigate before the 20 minutes is up. Curiosity and ineffective pressure application combine to stop the arrest of bleeding.
• It is not unusual to experience swelling or discomfort for a few days. However, if pain, swelling or bleeding persist contact the dentist.