TL;DR
After a tooth is pulled, bite on gauze for 30 to 45 minutes, rest with your head raised and use ice on the cheek for the first day or two. For the first 24 hours don’t rinse, spit or use a straw, and avoid smoking for at least three days to protect the clot and prevent dry socket. Eat soft foods, start warm salt-water rinses the next day and keep brushing the other teeth. Call Stone Falls Dental at (618) 624-2800 for bleeding that won’t stop, fever, swelling that grows after day three, or throbbing pain a few days later.
What should you do right after a tooth is pulled?
Right after a tooth is pulled, your one job is to let a blood clot form and stay in the socket. That clot is the foundation the gum and bone heal over, and nearly every instruction below is about protecting it.
- Keep firm, steady pressure on the gauze for 30 to 45 minutes without checking it.
- Go home and rest with your head raised; skip exercise for the rest of the day.
- Don’t rinse, spit or drink through a straw for 24 hours.
- Hold an ice pack on your cheek, 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.
- Take your pain reliever before the numbness fades, exactly as directed.
- Be careful not to bite your cheek, lip or tongue while they’re numb.
How do you stop bleeding after a tooth extraction?
Stop bleeding by placing a fresh, slightly damp gauze pad directly over the socket and biting with steady pressure for 30 minutes. Light oozing and pink saliva are normal for the first day, and a little blood mixed with saliva can look like more than it is.
- Fold the gauze so it sits on the socket itself, not just between the teeth.
- If bleeding continues, bite on a moistened black tea bag for 30 minutes; its tannins help the vessels close.
- Sit upright and stay calm; lying flat and exertion both increase blood flow to the area.
- Avoid hot drinks and alcohol on the first day.
- If bleeding is still heavy after an hour of firm pressure, call us.
What can you eat and drink after a tooth extraction?
Eat soft, cool or lukewarm foods for the first day or two, then add firmer foods as you feel comfortable, chewing on the other side. Drink plenty of water from a glass, not a straw.
- First day: yogurt, pudding, applesauce, smoothies eaten with a spoon, cooled soup.
- Next several days: eggs, mashed potatoes, soft pasta, oatmeal, flaky fish.
- Avoid crunchy and small, hard foods like chips, seeds, rice and popcorn that can lodge in the socket.
- Avoid carbonated, very hot and alcoholic drinks for the first few days.
- Return to your normal diet gradually over about a week.
How do you prevent dry socket?
You prevent dry socket by protecting the blood clot until the socket starts to close over. Dry socket happens when the clot dissolves or is dislodged early, leaving bone exposed. It isn’t dangerous, but it’s painful, typically starting two to four days after the extraction as a deep, throbbing ache that can travel toward the ear, often with a bad taste.
- Don’t smoke or vape for at least 72 hours, and longer if you can.
- Skip straws and forceful spitting for the first week.
- Begin gentle warm salt-water rinses 24 hours after surgery, half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water, after meals and at bedtime.
- Let the rinse fall from your mouth rather than spitting it out.
- Keep brushing your other teeth from the first night, staying clear of the socket.
- Avoid alcohol-based mouthwash until the area has healed.
When should you call Stone Falls Dental after an extraction?
Call our office at (618) 624-2800 if healing seems to be going the wrong way, or if anything on this list happens. A dry socket or an infection is simple to treat once we know about it. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911.
- Bleeding that soaks through gauze after an hour of firm pressure
- Throbbing pain that starts or worsens two to four days after the extraction
- Swelling that keeps growing after the third day
- Fever, chills, or pus or a foul taste from the socket
- Numbness that lasts beyond the day of the extraction
- A rash, itching or other reaction to a medication
How long does an extraction site take to heal?
The gum over an extraction site usually closes within one to two weeks, and the bone underneath keeps filling in for several months. Dissolving stitches fall out on their own in about a week; others are removed at a short follow-up visit.
If the tooth won’t be replaced, the gap can let neighboring teeth drift over time, so it’s worth talking about options once you’ve healed. Our page on tooth extractions explains why teeth are removed, and our implant dentistry page covers one way to fill the space.