Pulling a molar

Advice after the pulling of a tooth or molar

Now that your tooth has been pulled out, it is important for you that you read the following information carefully and strictly follow the advice. This is to make sure that you have a quick recovery. Of course, you do not always get the complaints described below.

Food and drink

Do not eat hard food for the first few days after the procedure. In that way you do not damage the wound and disturb the healing process. It is better not to smoke or drink alcohol during the first few days. Both are bad for wound healing.

Oral hygiene

The wound heals best when the blood is able to clot in a correct way. Therefore, you should not have water or other drinks in your mouth for the first 24 hours. Also, do not touch the wound with your fingers. A clean mouth heals better than a dirty one. You can brush your teeth normally with a soft toothbrush, but be careful around the wound. If brushing is not possible because you cannot easily open your mouth, you can temporarily use a special rinsing fluid. Ask advice from the practice for this.

Pain after dental treatment

A light pain after the treatment is normal. You can fight the pain with paracetamol. Do not use acetalycylic acid (aspirin), as this can make the wound bleed again. It is best to start the painkillers before the local anaesthetic stops working. If paracetamol does not help enough against the pain, you can also use ibuprofen in addition to the paracetamol. However, stick to the maximum prescribed amount.

Swelling

A swollen cheek, blue-yellow discolouration and a smaller mouth opening after (surgical) pulling of your teeth are normal. Also your temperature can get higher to 39°C / 102,2°F and perhaps you cannot open your mouth normally. The swelling will get less and disappear after three to five days. Cooling the cheek can help to make the swelling smaller and the pain easier. It can happen that the swelling does not get less, but really gets worse and you get a severe throbbing (going quickly up and down) pain that does not go away with prescription medication. If you also get a fever above 39°C / 102,2°F and possibly swallowing problems, please contact the practice.

Bleeding

Sometimes you will be given a piece of gauze (“gaasje”) to bite (closing the wound by biting) after the treatment; you can remove this gauze after half an hour. During the first few days, blood clots can make your saliva red. In case of bleeding, you should bite firmly on a double folded piece of gauze or a rolled-up handkerchief for half an hour. If the bleeding does not stop after this, repeat the procedure. If that does not help, please contact the practice.

Stitches

Sometimes the wound is closed with stitches that disappear automatically after about óne week.