The good news is that with improved oral hygiene and dental techniques the need for tooth extraction is not as common as it once was. Obviously should a tooth be damaged in an accident or suffer from decay then it may have to be removed. It may also be advised for treating crowding or even for accurately placing the braces into a patient’s mouth.
Dentists will only extract a tooth as a last resort, if they can save the tooth by other means they will do so as obviously there can be cosmetic implications linked to extractions. The gap left after an extraction can be unsightly and most people want to have a good smile, not be self-conscious about a gappy smile. This can be addressed by cosmetic dental treatment; the downside is that this can be costly.
There is no need to worry about tooth extraction when it is carried out by a competent dental surgeon. He will administer a suitable anaesthetic to control the pain as he extracts the troublesome tooth. He will give you advice about controlling any bleeding and also about when and what you can eat and drink. A clot forms over the exposed area and this is the beginning of the healing process and you should avoid poking it about or chewing anything on that side of the mouth for a few days until the gum heals and toughens.
Generally, the pain of tooth extraction resides fairly quickly, but the prescription made by your dentist will really help. After the effect of anaesthetic, the mouth begins to heal leading to some temporary adverse effects like bleeding, tenderness, swelling, and discomfort. Here are some tips that will help on the first night after tooth extraction.
How long does the pain last after tooth extraction?
The intensity of pain on the first night after tooth extraction depends upon the kind of extraction you have undergone. Whether it’s simple tooth extraction, in which the dental crown was over the surface of the gum, or a complex one, which involves cutting down the gum and the removal of the tooth in sections.
So, the healing tenure directly relies upon the procedure involved during the extraction.
How to deal with the first 24 hours?
The first 24-48 hours are considered crucial because that is the only time for most aftercare. As the blood clot begins forming, you might experience some pain followed by bleeding and swelling in the first 24 hours. Below are some tips that may aid your recovery.
- Keep the
- gauze inside your mouth to form a blood clot. Replace it when needed, and blood in your saliva is normal.
- Take rest and elevate your head while lying down for at least 24 hours.
- To reduce swelling, apply an ice pack at an interval of 20 minutes.
- Avoid sucking, spitting, smoking, or rinsing your mouth, it can lead to dislodging your blood clot causing pain.
- Consume soft diet foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, and cool soup.
During an extraction, your dentist might ask you to bite down on a gauge pad, for applying direct pressure to the site. Moreover, the bleeding might be obvious for the first 24 hours, which disperses as the blood clot begins forming.
The pain normally starts to diminish by day 3, and after about a week, tissue formation takes place to protect the socket till the formation of the bone.
