How to Clean Mouth After Tooth Extraction
Had a trip to the dentist and need to know how to clean mouth after tooth extraction? We will go through everything you need to know here.
Getting a tooth extracted can remove an abscess in your mouth and relieve ear pain, and they are more common than you might think – but how to clean mouth after tooth extraction?
It’s common to get wisdom teeth extracted, but you can get a tooth extracted for many different reasons. In the UK, we take our teeth very seriously, and listen to experts about whether we should remove wisdom teeth (if they have to go, they have to do), and we also don’t recommend pulling out a tooth at home if you can help it.
If you have had to get a tooth or several teeth extracted, you are going to want to know about the aftercare and how to clean your mouth. We will cover everything you need to know below.
What Does a Tooth Extraction Entail?
Depending on which tooth or teeth you need extracted, the process can take between 30 minutes to an hour. If you need a more complicated tooth removed, a surgical extraction will be necessary, and it might take longer.
In the case where you need a tooth removed, you will be given local anaesthetic to numb the affected area. Once it takes effect, your dentist will widen the sockets, which will allow the tooth to be loosened, then carefully remove the tooth. If required, you will also be given a stitch to help with healing, but this does not always happen.
To stop the bleeding, you will need to bite down on a small piece of gauze that has been folded into a square and fitted over the empty socket (where your tooth used to be). When you bite down, pressure will be applied to the wound, which will stop it from bleeding.
How Much Does it Cost?
In the NHS, you will pay £73.50 for a tooth extraction, while private dentist prices for the same procedure can cost between £120-£370. Here at Didsbury Dental Practice, we charge £280 and include 24/7 emergency care treatment if you need it.
It is worth mentioning, however, that the NHS will often have long waiting times, and it could take weeks to be seen by a dentist. Because of this, getting private dental care is often worth it, and it can save you from a lot of pain in the future while keeping costs down with dental plans.
At Didsbury Dental Practice, we also have emergency dentists if you ever need emergency extractions or other dental work that cannot wait, along with 24/care to help you feel better.
Will There be Pain After a Tooth Extraction?
There will be some pain and discomfort after your tooth extraction, but you should be able to manage this with Ibuprofen if you need it. Just be careful to follow the guidelines and never take more than six tablets a day (or eight tablets if you are taking Paracetamol).
Your socket should heal within a week, but the hole left behind will not be filled on its own. If you want to get it filled at a later date, you may consider getting a dental implant or something similar that will work for you.
Within an hour of the extraction, a blood clot will form over the wound to stop the bleeding and start the healing process. In rare cases, bleeding might continue for more than three hours, and if it continues for over 24 hours, you should get in touch with your dentist. On a rare occasion, an infection might set in, but this is unlikely to happen if you take care of your mouth.
You can help your mouth heal even faster after the procedure by hydrating and resting. Make sure to not touch the wound unnecessarily with your tongue or accidentally brush it, as this will cause it to bleed further and take longer to heal.
How to Clean Mouth After Tooth Extraction
We would advise you to avoid mouthwash for the first 24 hours after getting a tooth extracted because alcohol will have a negative effect on the healing process. You should also stop smoking long-term to keep good dental hygiene and hopefully prevent any unnecessary tips to the dentist in the future.
But, if you can’t use mouthwash, you might be wondering how to clean mouth after tooth extraction – and the answer is simple. We recommend using warm, salty water to clean and disinfect your mouth after the procedure.
To do this, all you need to do is boil a cup of water and dissolve about a teaspoon of salt into it. Allow the water to cool until it is warm, then gently swish it around your mouth for about a minute before spitting it out.
Ideally, you should do this three or four times a day, and especially after you have eaten. Food can easily get stuck in the surrounding teeth and bacteria can build up, so regular, gentle cleaning is crucial if you want to keep the area clean.
Can You Use Alcohol-Free Mouthwash?
Even if your mouthwash is alcohol-free, we do not recommend using it within the first 24 hours after getting a tooth extraction. After 24 hours have passed, you can begin to incorporate alcohol-free mouthwash into your routine again, but not sooner.
If you do choose to do this, start with something mild for a few days. You need to be gentle with your mouth as it heals and not set it back in any way if possible. If you usually use a strong mouthwash that contains alcohol, you can go back to using this after a few weeks, just to be safe.
Tooth Extraction Aftercare
You need to take special care of your mouth after getting a tooth extracted, and there are a few dos and don’ts that you need to remember to make sure you don’t cause yourself any unnecessary pain and discomfort. This includes what you can eat after an extraction.
After the extraction, you should wait a few hours before eating anything, and preferably wait an hour before drinking water. This is to allow the empty socket to form a blood clot in order to stop the bleeding and start healing.
You should be careful with what you eat and drink as well. So, if you were hoping to jump right into drinking alcohol, tea, or coffee, we’re sorry to say that this is not a good idea. Overall, you should avoid drinks that are very hot or sugary, and you should avoid foods that are hot, spicy, acidic, or crumbly.
Here’s a breakdown of what you should be avoiding:
- Very hot foods/drinks
- Hard foods
- Crumbly foods
- Acidic foods
- Chewy foods
- Spicy foods
- Sugary drinks
- Alcoholic beverages
If you feel like you might struggle with finding foods and drinks to enjoy in the first three or so days after your extraction, here are some ideas:
- Water
- Smoothies
- Mashed potatoes
- Yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Scrambled eggs
- Noodles/pasta
- Soft bread
Visit Didsbury Dental Practice
Here at Didsbury dental practice, we want to give your teeth the care and attention they deserve, even if it might be daunting. If you need to get a tooth extracted, trust that it is for the best, and it’s the less painful option compared to leaving a damaged tooth in your mouth.
The discomfort of an extraction will only last a few days thanks to how quickly the mouth is able to heal itself, and before long, you will forget that it ever happened. If you know how to clean mouth after tooth extraction, using warm water with salt diluted in it, then you can keep your mouth clean until you are able to introduce mouthwash back into your regime.
