Avoiding Pain And Excess Bleeding Before, During, And After Cavity Extractions
Sometimes not even root canals can save a tooth. That is when you need cavity extractions to save the neighboring teeth and your health. If you ar particularly concerned about excess blood loss and pain during and after the affected tooth is extracted, here are some tips that can help.
Do Not Take Aspirin or Other Blood Thinners Prior to the Procedure
Blood thinners, like aspirin, prevent your blood from clotting. When your blood does not clot, you bleed more until the blood thinning medication has cleared your system. Even though a tooth extraction is a minor surgery, the hole left in your gums after surgery can continue bleeding. If you take blood thinners regularly, your dentist will more than likely ask you to not take this medication on the day of the procedure. Usually, you can resume taking aspirin and other blood thinners on the day following the procedure when the wound in your mouth has sufficiently closed off.
Do Not Consume Hard or Chewy Foods after Surgery
You will be sent home with a list of post-surgical instructions. One very important piece of information will tell you what you can and cannot eat for the next three to five days. You will be on a soft/liquid diet, which means that anything harder than a ripe banana is off-limits.
You can eat soup/broth, jello, pudding, ice cream, soft fruits (e.g., bananas, peaches, plums, etc.), noodles of any kind, and sauces with no hard, crunchy, or chewy ingredients, etc. Consuming things like nuts, steak, hard, crunchy, and/or raw veggies, and breakfast cereal are off-limits because they can get into the wound and open it up or infect it. If you have a question about something you want to eat, ask your dentist before you consume it.
Take the Pain Medication Your Dentist Prescribes
As for the pain, take the pain medication your dentist prescribes. The pain medication prescribed may make you sleepy, so you may want to take the entire day off from work. (Also, the sedation/anesthetic takes a few hours to wear off, so you should not drive anywhere yourself.) Take the medication as needed. In a few days, you can transition to anti-inflammatories which will help reduce the swelling as well as help with any lingering pain. If you are taking aspirin, be sure to consult with a doctor or pharmacist before taking any other prescribed or over-the-counter pain relievers.
To learn more helpful tips, contact a dental office like Dental Studios of MacArthur.