16 things no one tells you about tooth extraction

Tooth extraction is a complex procedure where your dentist might remove one or more teeth under anesthesia. But knowing a few things is very important to maintain a risk-free post-operative recovery in tooth extraction.

Here are the 16 most asked questions related to tooth extraction.  Knowing the answers might help you in fast recovery and know more about tooth extraction aftercare.

Does tooth extraction hurt?

No, with the recent advances in local anesthesia techniques, tooth extraction is never a problem.  

Your dentist might give a dose of local anesthesia just before extraction. As a result, the region of extraction will be numbed, and you might not feel any pain.

Sometimes, when the status of infection is severe and you might have an abscess in your teeth, then it might take some time for the anesthesia to act in an acidic environment. In such conditions, your dentist might give an additional dose of anesthesia or might wait for more time for the drug to work.

Can I smoke before wisdom tooth extraction?

Smoking has many harmful effects on tissues. The heat generated during smoking will stimulate the tissues in the mouth to generate more keratin over them. This process is called Keratosis. This is one main reason to see many white lesions in smokers’ mouths which are called “Leukoplakia”.

Smoking on the other hand reduces salivary secretions. As a result, the cleansing activity of the mouth is hampered, and you will finally end up with a dry mouth.

Hence you should not smoke before wisdom tooth extraction. Moreover, It may lead to many post-operative complications like dry socket and dry mouth. The wound also fails to heal properly.

When can you smoke after tooth extraction?

As previously said, smoking induces dry sockets and might increase post-operative pain, and might also prolong wound healing. usually, tooth extraction healing time ranges between 5 days to 7 days.

Hence it is always advisable to stop smoking for at least 5 to 7 days after tooth extraction. As a result, you might be giving enough time for the wound to heal and at the same time, you are preventing excess temperature to encounter the socket area.

Can I vape after tooth extraction?

Vaping causes dry sockets. Hence it is advisable to stop vaping at least for a week after tooth extraction. Vaping has similar effects to smoking in the mouth. Hence avoid them for a better prognosis.

How long to keep gauze in after tooth extraction?

Gauze in your mouth after wisdom tooth extraction helps in applying pressure against your tissues so that a stable clot is formed, and bleeding stops after some time.

Here are a few important tips to use gauze after wisdom tooth extraction.

1. Never remove the gauze from the mouth immediately after tooth extraction.
2. The gauze should be kept at least for half an hour after tooth extraction. After half an hour, remove the gauze and check whether the clot is stabilized. If you find no bleeding from the tooth socket region, you can think that the clot might have stabilized.
3. Never keep gauze for prolonged periods, as it may attract bacteria and hinder proper healing of the socket. You should remove the gauze after thirty minutes.
4. Always try to swallow the saliva after tooth extraction. Otherwise, the gauze might attract or absorb saliva and prevent the blood from clotting in the socket.

Do I sleep with gauze after tooth extraction?

Never. You should not sleep with gauze after tooth extraction. You might experience increased blood flow after tooth extraction, in your mouth. Gauze helps in applying pressure over the socket area and controls excessive bleeding.

Sleeping with gauze might keep the gauze within the mouth for prolonged periods, where the gauze should be removed within half an hour after tooth extraction.

Moreover, prolonged application of gauze might infect the socket and lead to a dry socket. Hence the best way is

Do not sleep for at least half an hour after tooth extraction. Just remove the gauze after half an hour, take food and medications and then go to sleep.

when can I use mouthwash after tooth extraction?

Gargling mouthwashes immediately after tooth extraction might not be a good idea. Here are some tips to use mouth wash after tooth extraction.

At the time of tooth extraction, your dentist might offer you mouthwash multiple times to gargle, as it is a part of the procedure to clean your mouth. But they should not be used immediately after tooth extraction.

Using mouthwash immediately after tooth extraction might result in dislodgment of the clot and might result in fresh bleeding. Hence using mouthwash immediately after a tooth extraction is not advisable.

Mouthwashes aid in preventing bacterial contamination of the clot. Hence you might use mouthwash 24 hours after the tooth extraction. We would usually prefer mouthwashes to be used after brushing for a weak after tooth extraction.

Usually, two types of mouthwashes are available. One contains betadine and the other chlorhexidine.

Prefer betadine mouthwash over chlorhexidine mouthwashes when you which to use them after tooth extraction. Povidone-iodine or betadine mouthwashes appear to be superior to chlorhexidine in terms of post-operative disinfection.

Betadine mouth gargle:

We usually advise patients to use mouthwash after 24 hours of tooth extraction as the clot in the socket stabilizes by that time. Moreover, using mouthwashes reduces postoperative complications.

Can I eat spicy food after tooth extraction?

Your dentist might advise you to avoid spicy food after tooth extraction. Here are the reasons why you should avoid spicy food after tooth extraction.

1. Eating spicy food might irritate your tender soft tissues which are about to heal.
2. There might be swelling in the region of the extraction socket and eating spicy food might aggravate the inflammation more which might cause discomfort to you.
3. Eating spicy food after tooth extraction might result in an increased burning sensation and you might not enjoy the food.

Hence it is always advisable to prefer a bland diet for the first 2 days after tooth extraction.

As a result, you might feel better while eating food and the tissues also get time to heal. Eating bland and cold food might be a better choice for patients after tooth extraction.

How long should I take painkillers after tooth extraction?

Pain meds are a part of primary care after tooth extraction. The pain killers help in decreasing pain and post-operative edema in the region of tooth extraction.

Using pain killers for prolonged periods is not advisable. Usually, pain from the tooth subsides within a day after the extraction. In case you still feel mild pain, you can continue using pain killers for a period of 5 days.

But remember! The pain should be mild and bearable. In case the pain is unbearable even after tooth extraction and is not manageable with pain killers, then there might be something to fear, and it would be better to consult your dentist for rechecking the socket area.

Pain killers are only a supportive therapy during your treatment. Hence you might stop them in case you do not have any pain on the second day after tooth extraction. Of course, your dentist might be the best judge to advise you on your painkillers.

Why no ibuprofen after tooth extraction?

Ibuprofen and many NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) might increase the bleeding tendencies in the body. As a result, they should be used with caution when using after tooth extraction.

Drugs like Aspirin have the highest anti-coagulant properties when it comes to bleeding tendencies. Hence it is advisable not to use painkillers that also have bleeding properties, as using such drugs might induce prolonged bleeding from the extraction tooth socket.

Can a tooth infection cause a sinus infection?

yes! Tooth infection often spreads into the sinus area and might cause a sinus infection. Such infections are called “Sinusitis of dental origin” or tooth-induced sinusitis.

Usually, such sinusitis is a localized increase in sinus tissue lining and might appear as localized masses of tissues within the sinus adjacent to the infected tooth.

The probable cause could be that the infection from the tooth might enter the floor of the sinus and might irritate the sinus tissue above the tooth. As a result, the irritated sinus tissue might proliferate or enlarge due to inflammation and might result in localized sinusitis.

Occasionally they might end up as sinus polyps which are later diagnosed by your ENT specialists.

For more information on “Odontogenic sinusitis,” you can read this interesting article.

How soon can I eat ice cream after tooth extraction?

very interesting question. I can understand your intent to eat ice cream as immediately as possible after tooth extraction.

But do you know, that having ice cream is a very good idea after tooth extraction? Yes! You head it right. Having a cold object in the mouth after tooth extraction reduces

1. Pain
2. Post-operative swelling
3. Bleeding

Moreover, having ice cream helps in providing numbness in the region of tooth extraction.

Wait! There are some points to remember before you eat ice cream.

1. Have ice cream only half an hour after tooth extraction. By this time, the clot gets stabilized, and you can remove the gauze.
2. For patients who are diabetic, eating any other cold item other than ice cream is advisable.
3. Never take carbonated drinks after tooth extraction, as it might de-stabilize the clot and might induce fresh bleeding.

For more information you can read the article:

Never do these 10 things after tooth extraction

Can I eat rice after tooth extraction?

Having rice after a tooth extraction is not at all a bad idea. You should get a good nutritional supplement for energy after tooth extraction

Here are a few points to remember when you think of eating rice after tooth extraction.

1. Start eating only after the clot in your socket stabilizes. Hence you should not eat anything for at least half an hour after tooth extraction.
2. Do not prefer hot rice as it might cause discomfort while eating. Better to have cold rice or rice at room temperature.
3. Rice with yogurt or curd is a preferred meal after tooth extraction (Bland diet).
4. Avoid hot and spicy rice mixes as they hurt your mouth after tooth extraction.

Can I eat pizza after tooth extraction?

very interesting! Never eat pizza after tooth extraction. Let me explain

First, you would enjoy a pizza when it is hot. But it would be preferable to avoid hot foods after tooth extraction. Moreover, it is a carbohydrate-rich food that might increase your glucose levels (Of course caution for diabetics).

Second, pizza is a sticky food and sticks a lot in your mouth. Hence cleansing might be a problem for the next day, which is very vital. Keeping your mouth clean is of prime importance for the next day after tooth extraction.

Third, Pizza contains a lot of spicy toppings which might harm your socket and mouth. Hence, delay your tongue for a period of at least 2-days after tooth extraction.

When can I drink from a straw after tooth extraction?

absolutely no! better avoid using straw for at least 2 days after tooth extraction. Let me explain.

Using a straw while drinking induces negative pressure in the mouth. As a result, the stabilized clot might be sucked into the mouth from the extraction socket.

As a result, the clot gets de-stabilized and might induce fresh bleeding. Hence, never use a straw for drinking after tooth extraction.

When can I brush after tooth extraction

you can brush immediately on the next day after tooth extraction. It is a good habit to clean the extracted area often.

Brushing aids in cleaning the socket area and helps in preventing post-operative infections.

For the first 2 days after tooth extraction, your dentist might advise brushing slowly in the treated area. But after 2 days you might brush as usual.

Never stop brushing after tooth extraction, as it might re-infect the socket and result in a dry socket.