Your Next Steps After an Extraction

If you need to have a tooth pulled, you don’t need to stress: Surgical tooth extraction is the most common surgery across the country. In some cases, you might even be able to have a simple, non-surgical extraction to get the tooth out. Whether it’s simple or surgical, tooth extraction is usually a routine, painless procedure.

The days that follow, though, might be a little less comfortable, especially if you don’t take the proper aftercare steps. That’s why Dr. Sujay Trivedi and Dr. Michael C. Westcott came up with these easy guidelines. 

As tooth extraction experts, they know best practices to help you bounce back faster with less discomfort. If you get your tooth extracted here at Family Dental Care in West Palm Beach, Florida, we’ll give you a personalized aftercare program.

For now, though, you’re probably wondering what to expect. 

Rest and keep the site clean

Rest makes a huge difference right after you have your tooth pulled. Your body needs time to let the area clot and heal the soft tissue where your tooth was. For at least two days, avoid strenuous activities. If you’ve been wanting to dig into a good book, catch up on your favorite show, or binge on a movie franchise, this is the perfect time. 

To keep you comfortable, we set you up with pain relief medication. Whether we recommend an over-the-counter pain reliever or write you a prescription for something more powerful depends on your specific extraction. Taking your medication on time keeps any discomfort at bay, so do your best not to miss a dose. 

Finally, you need to keep the area clean. We’ll show you how to do this without brushing the area, which could slow its healing. We also teach you how to recognize the signs of any complications, like an infection. That way, if anything pops up, you can visit us right away and we can address it before it becomes a bigger issue. 

Plan for your replacement tooth

After a few days, you should be able to return to your usual activities. 

As you do, you might be wondering what to do about that new gap in your smile. We can help there, too. Dr. Westcott and Dr. Trivedi offer dental bridges to give you a new tooth where your extracted one was. 

Unlike dentures, your bridge gets anchored in your mouth via crowns over the neighboring teeth. That means it should look and feel just like a natural tooth. 

This should give you at least a rough idea of what tooth extraction aftercare should look like. If you still have questions, though, or you want to make sure you’re getting your tooth pulled by a team of experts, call 561-556-1698 during normal business hours or book your visit online any time.