Recovery After Tooth Removal

Most people do not get through life without having a tooth or two removed. Almost everyone ends up having their wisdom teeth pulled and perhaps lose a few others to decay or injury. Although this is usually minor oral surgery, you will still have a recovery period. You can heal with less discomfort if you follow a few dental guidelines.

Food

You can expect some pain and soreness, so you will need to eat soft food for a few days to avoid irritating your gums. Fortunately, that means you can indulge in some treats that you may usually eat only rarely. Stock up on ice cream or frozen yogurt and eat it without guilt. Also, lukewarm soups are a good idea as long as any meat is well-cooked and cut into small bites. Scrambled eggs are a go-to food in this situation and even fit into a high protein-low carb diet. Obviously, you need to avoid anything crunchy, both to avoid pressure and to keep food bits out of the tooth socket. You'll need to give broccoli and carrots a rest for a week or so.  While you don't have to eat only bland food, you do not want to go spicy. "Hot" foods can make your gums sting and burn. Some people claim to lose weight after having this surgery, but that will depend on the length of your recovery period and how much ice cream you consume.

Medication

You should not experience too much pain, so OTC remedies such as acetaminophen or Ibuprofen should be sufficient. If you have severe discomfort, your doctor may prescribe something stronger, but, due to addiction issues, doctors are more reluctant to prescribe these strong medications. You will also get an antibiotic to help prevent infection. On occasion, you may develop a dry socket, a condition that occurs when a blood clot falls out of your healing gums, exposing bone to the air. You may experience severe pain and have a higher chance of infection, requiring another dose of antibiotics. Take all prescribed medications until instructed to do otherwise.

You should recover from a tooth extraction completely in a matter of a few weeks, but you do have to take some medication and be careful what you eat. Fortunately, you basically have permission to eat some high-calorie treats for the duration of your recovery. If you have more questions about the procedure and recovery, talk to your dentist.