Tooth Extraction Follow-up
Simple tooth extractions are usually not followed by any other discomfort. You can take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil, Morton and some more brands) for a couple of days. You might not need to take any pain relief medicines at all.
As surgical tooth extractions are often complicated, they can cause severe pain post surgery. The after effect of such a procedure results in discomfort and the duration of this stage depends on the intensity of the extraction procedure. Your dentist will definitely prescribe pain relief medicines for a couple of days which should relief your pain considerably.
Incise within the mouth usually bleeds more than any incise on the surface of the skin because the one in the mouth doesn’t get the chance to dry out and results in the formation of a scab. After your extraction, you will have to bite a piece of gauze up to 30 minutes in order to put pressure on the wound and allow the clotting of blood. It might still bleed for another 24 hours and then taper off. Do not remove the cloth that covers the wound.
You can use ice packs on the face to lessen swelling post surgery. The bleeding and swelling stops after one or two days of surgery. Initial healing will take about 2 weeks time.
After surgery, you should not spit, use straw or smoke. Such actions can stimulate the blood clot and it might pull out of the socket where the tooth lay. That would cause more bleeding and could even lead to dryness of the socket, which happens to about 3 to 4 percent of the extraction cases.
Dry socket happens almost 20 to 30 percent of the times when an impacted tooth is removed. It happens mostly with smokers and with women taking contraceptive pills. It is mostly expected in case of difficult extractions.
Tooth Extraction Risks
Infections can set in after the process of extraction but, if you have a healthy immune system, you might not get infected.
A very common complication observed after an extraction is dry socket. It occurs when a there’s no blot clot formation in the hole or the clot breaks down too early.
In case of a dry socket, the bone that lies under the wound is exposed to food and air. This is very painful and can also cause bad breath and taste. Such cases need immediate treatment and medicated dressing in order to prevent the pain and encourage quick healing.
Other possible problems include:
- Accidental cause in which the teeth close to the site of surgery is effected, a fracture.
- Incomplete extraction, where a part of the tooth still remains inside the jaw. A dentist removes the root so as to prevent it from any infection, but sometime it is not that risky to leave small tip of the root inside.
- Fractured jaw, which is caused due to pressure exerted on your jaw during the process of extraction. Elderly people suffering from osteoporosis are most likely to be effected by this.
- A hole occurring in your sinus while removing the molar (upper back tooth). A tiny hole that closes up on its own after a couple of weeks. If it doesn’t, another surgery might be needed.
- Sore in the jaw joints and / or muscles. You might not be able to open your mouth wide. This happens due to the injection.
- Ongoing numbness caused in he chin and lower lips. Any trauma or injury of the inferior alveolar nerve can be the cause of numbness. This happens during the removal of lower wisdom teeth. It takes about 3 to 6 months for this wound to heal completely. In some rare cases, the numbness might be permanent.
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