Recovering at home from dental extractions (with Possible Dentures) can be easy as 1,2,3
Heal Faster From Dental Extractions
You need to have dental surgery – tooth extractions to be precise. It’s reached a necessary point… and now you want to be able to ensure that the whole process goes by smoothly. You’re aiming to have a quick healing process so that you can go back out into the work world and other aspects with as few bumps on the road as you possibly can. It’s not that difficult – all you have to do is follow some simple rules in some key parts of your recovery.
These parts are broken down into immediately after your extraction to a little while later to long-term. You will get detailed instructions from your dentist afterwards, but it’s always good to have a basic understanding beforehand… especially since you might feel groggy from any sedatives that were needed or just from being tired in general, since you DID just have surgery.
Yes, this might seem like something that would be the furthest thing from your mind when you come back home. Your mouth might be numb from the Novocaine, which can make eating tricky (think being able to tell if the yogurt you are eating is in your mouth or your chin). Also, it might not be appetizing – you did just have someone pulling teeth out and any pain medication may wear off soon.
Still, it’s important to get food in you. They have nutrients that can help you heal much faster. Eat soft food, like smoothies or yogurt, to soup. Cold pasta is an option. There are a lot of shakes and smoothies that you can make, like Banana-Mango and Chocolate-Banana. Soup options like Orange-Carrot and Gazpacho are delicious. This next tip needs to be in all caps: DO NOT USE A STRAW. This can undo any clotting, even with same-day dentures. As a result, you might get dry socket, which can expose your jawbone. It’s definitely something that you do not want to get. Avoid any spicy food for two weeks post-extraction. Then you can resume eating like you normally did – within the constraints of any dentures.
Dental Care
Don’t immediately start brushing your teeth, even with a temporary denture. You might loosen any blood clots and leave you bleeding a lot more than you think you would. If you don’t wait 24 hours, you might also get an infection, which would keep you from recovering quickly or might even necessitate more dental work. This is where patience will pay off.
Use a dry toothbrush on your tongue to keep bacteria off. Gargle with warm salt water to kill other bacteria. Do this four to five times a day, but don’t swish too hard. If you do, you run the risk of loosening sutures. But the salt water is invaluable in terms of preventing infection. Two days later, start brushing normally. Again, don’t brush too hard, that can cause problems.
Rest
This is another important part of speeding up the healing process. It allows your body to recuperate and heal. The first 24 hours are crucial. Do not do anything particularly active during that time span. You can put ice on your jaw for any swelling and take painkillers like Tylenol or Ibuprofen for any pain. When it comes to the ice, generally leave it on for 20 minutes at a time.
Sleep is a big part of that rest. Use several pillows to prop your head up. That can mitigate any bleeding problems or even prevent them from causing a long term problem. Remember, your body has been through a lot and the time sleeping will be very beneficial.
The first several days might be uncomfortable. The pain should lessen as the time goes on. Things you need to watch out for are chills, fever, or nausea, Then you need to go see your dentist to make sure that there are no underlying infections that could be causing this problem. If you do feel those symptoms, do not try to gut through them – you risk long-term damage.
It may seem like a lot, but dental extractions are fairly routine these days, thanks to advances in dental technology and medication. If you follow the above instructions, then you should have a very simple time with it… and you will be able to resume your everyday life.
The staff at Hagerstown Dentist are experts at extractions. They will be glad to answer your questions – give them a call at their Hagerstown (301-200-9585) office to make an appointment.
