Getting a tooth extracted might not be your ideal weekend activity, but it does sometimes become essential. A temporary hole is created when a tooth is pulled. The size of your tooth and the method of extraction are two factors that affect how long it takes for this hole to close. It can take a couple of weeks or several months. Continue reading for information on how long it takes for a tooth extraction hole to close as well as suggestions for a smooth recovery.
It typically takes 7 days for the wound following a simple extraction of a tiny tooth with a single root to seal and recover. After three weeks, a hole left by a straightforward extraction of a large tooth with several roots heals, but full healing and closure of the hole may take several months.
How Can I Know If My Tooth Extraction Is Healing Correctly?
Patients should be cautious to watch the extraction area to make sure that it appears healthy as the healing process following a tooth extraction progresses. In fact, you will go through a number of stages of healing after having a tooth pulled. Observing these phases will help you determine whether your gums are recovering properly:
You might anticipate a naturally occurring clot to form where your tooth pulled within the first 24 hours. Any discomfort you experience at this time is perfectly natural and expected. At this moment, you will also suffer some little bleeding and swelling.
Patients should take extra care after the first day to prevent disturbing the clot that has developed in the open socket. This could result in a painful side effect called dry socket. Don’t use a straw to drink and refrain from brushing the region where your tooth pulled out. Your gums will start to heal and shut around the tooth extraction site about three days following the procedure.
The space left by your extracted tooth should be healed (or practically closed) 7 to 10 days following your treatment, and your gums should no longer be sore or inflamed.
When Can I Stop Worrying About Dry Socket?
There is a possibility that your hole won’t entirely heal, so it’s important to watch out for that. It typically takes 7 to 10 days for the gums to close, so once that time has passed, you may stop worrying about the dry socket. Each person heals at their own rate, though, based on their age, dental health, hygiene, and other factors. Trust your medical team, and contact them right away if you experience any unexpected symptoms.
How Will I Know If I Have Dry Socket?
A painful dental ailment known as dry socket, can occasionally develop after you have an adult permanent tooth removed.
Dry socket symptoms and signs might include:
- After a tooth extraction, there is intense pain for a few days.
- An empty-looking (dry) socket may result from the partial or complete loss of the blood clot at the site of the tooth extraction.
- Clear bone in the socket
- On the same side of your face as the extraction, pain that extends from the socket to your ear, eye or neck
- A bad taste or odour coming from your mouth
- A bad taste is in your mouth
Steps To Prevent Dry Socket
Bone and nerve tissue protect with the blood clot that forms during tooth extraction. You want it to remain in place until you’ve recovered from surgery since it aids in the healing of your gums.
In most cases, a dry socket happens when something gets loose or shifts the blood clot from the socket. In some cases, dry socket happens when a blood clot never forms in the first place.
Here are some strategies for avoiding dry socket:
1. Use no straws
When you use a straw, the suction action of the air and your cheek muscles could move your blood clot. After your extraction, you shouldn’t drink through a straw for a week.
2. Avoid using cigarettes and smoking
Dry socket after tooth extraction is much more likely to occur in smokers and tobacco users. Additionally, your dentist might be able to direct you to services or assist you in creating a strategy to stop smoking.
If you don’t want to stop using cigarettes, the following advice could lower your risk of developing dry socket:
- Use a nicotine patch instead.
- After surgery, you should wait at least 48 hours before smoking. When you start smoking again, breathe in slowly.
- Request stitches at the site of your surgery from your dentist.
- Maintain the gauze on your socket while smoking.
- Avoid chewing cigarettes or nicotine gum.
- Instead of smoking when you typically would, substitute a different habit.
3. Supple Food
Eat only soft meals the first day following your surgery, such as mashed potatoes, yogurt, and applesauce. You can try slightly heartier foods on the second day, but you should switch back to soft foods if you feel any pain.
Avoid soup since it may cause sucking, which could cause the blood clot to come loose. Additionally, stay away from nuts, seeds, crunchy meals like chips, and sticky items that could jam in your socket.
4. Make Inquiries About Possible Drug Interactions
Some studies suggest a connection between oral contraceptives and dry socket. Ask your dentist whether you are in danger. A proper blood clot may not form due to other drugs.
Also Read : How To Care For Yourself After A Root Canal
5. Adequate Oral Care
One of the most crucial strategies to avoid dry socket is to keep your mouth clean. Maintaining good oral hygiene can help stop infections and germs from destroying the blood clot.
Must read : Can Dental Problems Cause Swollen Lymph Nodes?
Final Words
Even though the healing process after having a tooth or teeth taken can take a few weeks, if you take the right care of yourself and according to your dentist’s instructions, you should recover very quickly. Knowing how long it takes for the hole to close after extraction will help you remember to take good care of it. This includes keeping it clean, treating it gently, attempting to avoid dry sockets, and avoiding getting food stuck in the sockets.
Must Read : Can Wisdom Teeth Cause Ear Pain?
What Occurs If Food Becomes Trapped In The Extraction Site?
The sockets will likely become clogged with food until they totally close. Foul breath and a bad taste in your mouth could result from this.
When Wisdom Teeth Are Removed, Why Is There A Hole?
The wisdom tooth hole is typically the base or socket where the tooth’s roots were connected to the surrounding bone.
