Things to Know about Teeth Cleaning and Brushing after Tooth Extraction

Your smile is said to be your most valuable natural asset for a reason. It is the first thing that people notice in you and that is why you need to ensure that your pearly whites are at their best condition always.

So when one of your teeth gets cavities or gets decayed or you experience some kind of pain it is vital that you see your dentist without delay before the pain gets excruciating and the trouble heightens for your oral health. Go for a tooth extraction if your dentist suggests so.

After the extraction of the teeth, a blood clot can be produced inside the socket of the tooth. That is why you are asked by the dentist to bite down on your gauge pad to assist in stopping the bleeding. In certain cases, your dentist can also go about stitching the edges of the gum around the site of extraction. The stitches usually are self-dissolving, so you don’t have to think about removing them.

In some cases, the clot of blood in the socket can break loose as a result of which the bone gets exposed. This is a painful condition that is referred to as dry socket. The dentist then covers the socket with a dressing of sedative and leaves it there for a few days. This is the time when the clot forms.

Process of Extraction and Its Post Effects

Though the process of extraction is more or less safe, the procedure leaves an open wound through which the bacteria in the mouth can make an entry into your blood. Not only that, your gum tissue can also get infected. The dentists usually prescribe a number of antibiotics before and after the extraction. But this is not sufficient to keep your mouth healthy. It is imperative that you take proper care of your oral hygiene right from the first day will help you to prevent infection, get faster recovery and feel better.

How to Brush the Teeth after the Tooth Extraction

• Use a brush that consists of soft bristles and using semi-circular motions you must clean the mouth.

• Brush the rest of the teeth every morning and night to ensure that your mouth remains clean in order to recover faster. You should also clean the tongue in order to do away with any unpleasant taste that can remain in your mouth post extraction.

• Consider rinsing the mouth if your wound is stitched up. On the first day of extraction you should rinse the mouth with a solution of warm water and salt after each meal to keep the food particles away from the wound area. You should not rinse vigorously for avoiding the risk of dislodging the clot of blood. For 8 ounces of water (240 ml) you should use about ½ teaspoon salt. If you have hypertension you should ask the doctor if you should use the salt.

• Don’t clean the teeth adjacent to the wound area for the rest of the day. But you can clean them after the first 24 hours.

• You can use a new toothbrush dipped in chlorhexidine solution at the time of brushing the mouth. The ordinary toothpaste has neutralising effect on the chlorhexidine and hence should not be used.

• On the first day at the start of the process you should wash the mouth thoroughly twice using a minor percentage of chlorhexidine solution until the stitches dissolve. You should wash your mouth at least for a minute prior to spitting the solution out.

Avoid using any kind of mouth wash or mouth rinse until your doctor advises you to do so. Also for any other products that you use you should ask the dentist to see if they adhere the safety standards. Just like to get the most gorgeous looking teeth you do a lot of research to get the best treatment at the best teeth cleaning cost similarly you should also do your research and choose the most proficient dentist for your tooth extraction so that there is minimum risk for any post-extraction trouble.