Your mouth is likely to feel sore for a little while after you’ve had a tooth, or teeth, taken out. This is normal and nothing to worry about. However we advise taking extra care of yourself, and your mouth for at least 24 hours after the extraction.
Take it easy
Don’t do any strenuous exercise or work.
Eat and drink carefully
Avoid hot food and drink until the anaesthetic wears off. It’s easy to scald yourself when your mouth is numb. Also take care not to chew your cheek. This is another common problem
when there is no feeling.
Don’t drink alcohol. This can encourage bleeding and delay your healing.
Don’t rinse
It’s tempting to rinse or gargle to clear out your mouth. But you need to allow the socket to heal and a blood clot to form. The clot acts like a lid by sealing the socket and keeping out infection. Keep your tongue away from the clot and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.
Keep it clean
After 24 hours gently bathe the area with hot salty water (a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water) four times a day for at least three days or until the area has healed.
Eating healthily and taking vitamin C supplements will also help with healing.
If there is bleeding
A small amount of bleeding is natural. But if the clot is disturbed and the socket bleeds then don’t rinse. Place a clean piece of cloth, such as a cotton handkerchief, over the area and bite down firmly for at least 20 minutes. Replace with a clean piece of cloth as needed.
If the bleeding does not stop after two hours, or gets worse, call the Redhouse team.
If you have pain
The anaesthetic will wear off after around 2-3 hours, and you may have some pain. You can take your usual painkiller, at the recommended dosage but you should avoid aspirin as this
can cause bleeding.
Gently bathing the area, after 24 hours, may also help.
Getting in touch with us
We may have already made a follow up appointment for you. If you have still have severe pain after three days and you’ve followed this advice please get in touch with the practice.
