General Information
Dentists pull teeth for one of two reasons: (a) loss of supporting tissue (bone and gums); or (b) infection involving the nerve (pulpal tissue) of the tooth. This type of infection develops when germs find an entry into the nerve canal of the tooth diseased with decay or fractured. Certain fractured teeth cannot be restored and have to be extracted. If the fracture involves the nerve canal, infection usually results.
Activities for daily living
There are no restrictions on your usual daily activities.
General measures:
- Keep your mouth closed firmly in order to produce pressure on the gauze sponge that has been placed in the socket to prevent bleeding. (The “socket” is the space left after the tooth is extracted.)
- Leave the gauze sponges in place for three to four hours. They may need changing approximately every thirty minutes if the sponge becomes soaked with blood.
- To help prevent excessive bleeding, don’t spit.
- Apply an ice pack for ten minutes at a time to the skin on the side of the face on which the tooth was extracted.
- DO NOT suck on cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or straws for the next 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, use warm salt water mouth rinses to soothe discomfort and to prevent accumulation of food particles. Rinse gently. Make the solution with one teaspoon of plain table salt in a glass of lukewarm water.
Diet
Follow a soft or liquid diet for 24 hours or more. Do not drink any alcoholic beverages.
Medications
You make take aspirin, buffered aspirin, Tylenol, or other simple pain remedies.
NOTIFY YOUR DENTIST IF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING OCCURS:
- Heavy bleeding develops. This may be suspected if the gauze sponges are still being saturated with blood after two hours.
- Any bleeding from the socket occurs after 18 hours.
- Severe nagging or “gnawing” pain is present at the extraction site after 24 hours.
- Elevation of temperature over 101 F orally develops.