After a tooth extraction
For anyone who has had a tooth removed today, including a wisdom tooth.
Call us if…
- Bleeding is still heavy after two hours of firm pressure on fresh gauze.
- A deep, spreading ache starts around day three, often reaching the ear — that pattern suggests a dry socket, which we can treat quickly.
- Swelling is getting worse after day three rather than better.
- You develop a fever, or a bad taste and smell that does not clear.
- Numbness in your lip or chin has not worn off by the next day.
Cherry Ave: (562) 422-683810th St: (562) 438-2500
If you have swelling spreading toward your eye or under your jaw, a fever with difficulty swallowing, or any trouble breathing, go to the emergency room or call 911 rather than waiting for the office to open.
The first 24 hours
- Bite firmly on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes. If it is still bleeding, replace it with fresh damp gauze and bite for another 30 minutes.
- Do not rinse, spit, or swill anything around your mouth today. The clot in the socket is what heals the site, and rinsing washes it away.
- No straws, no smoking, no vaping. The suction pulls the clot out.
- Rest with your head propped up. Lying flat makes it throb.
- A cold pack on the outside of the cheek, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off, reduces swelling.
The next few days
- From tomorrow, rinse gently with warm salt water after meals — half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Let it fall out of your mouth rather than spitting.
- Swelling usually peaks around day two and then improves. Bruising on the cheek is normal.
- Brush your other teeth as normal. Avoid the socket itself for the first few days.
- If you were given stitches, most dissolve within a week or two.
Eating and drinking
- Stick to soft, cool or lukewarm food today: yoghurt, eggs, soup that is not hot, mashed potato, smoothies eaten with a spoon.
- Chew on the other side until the site is comfortable.
- Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol while you are taking any prescribed medication.
- Avoid anything with small seeds or grains for a week — they lodge in the socket.