If you have a damaged tooth that does not respond to restorative dental treatment, your dentist may recommend a tooth extraction. This oral surgery will require some time to recover, so you should schedule this procedure accordingly.
As you heal, blood clots form naturally over the surgical site where the tooth was removed. This is normal, and if the clots are disturbed or dislodged, you may be at risk of forming a painful condition called dry socket.
This issue will require further intervention from your dentist to alleviate it, so you should follow advice from your dental professional to prevent it. Dr. Brenda Paulen, a dentist practicing in Sandy Springs, GA, lists three tips to help you avoid dry socket after a tooth extraction.
Tooth Extraction Aftercare Tips
Practice Careful Oral Hygiene
When you return home to recover after a tooth extraction procedure, you should keep your smile clean by practicing oral hygiene. This will ensure the surgical sites do not get infected.
However, harsh teeth brushing techniques could dislodge a healing blood clot and cause dry socket. You should be gentle when performing your oral hygiene regimen so that you can keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy without disrupting your oral surgery recovery. Follow aftercare instructions and guidelines from your dentist for optimal results.
Avoid Using Straws
The combination of airflow and muscle movement when making a sucking motion with your mouth has a high likelihood of disturbing a blood clot over a surgical site, leading to dry socket. Therefore, dentists ask their patients to avoid using straws so that they can heal without issue after a tooth extraction.
Inhaling when smoking creates a similar risk of forming dry socket as straw usage. Dentists recommend ceasing their smoking habits during tooth extraction recovery for this reason. It may be easier to stop this practice as you heal if you decrease smoking prior to your extraction procedure.
Stick to Soft-Textured Foods
Your mouth may feel sore after your tooth extraction procedure and anesthetics wear off. It may feel more comfortable to eat soft-textured foods while you recover from this surgery.
This strategy can also help you to avoid forming dry socket. Hard, sticky, and chewy foods can likely dislodge a healing blood clot, so sticking to softer foods, like yogurt, mashed potatoes, or oatmeal, can prevent this painful condition.
The day after your procedure, you may feel ready to try eating more solid foods. You should be careful to revert back to soft foods if you notice any pain while eating.
Tooth Extraction Procedures and More in Sandy Springs, GA
Proud Smiles offers tooth extraction procedures and other general dental treatments to patients in Sandy Springs, GA. Dr. Paulen also specializes in implant, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry, including professional teeth whitening services. To schedule an appointment with our practice, contact our office by phone at 404.418.7734 or reach our staff online.