What to Expect After a Dental Procedure

We all know that dental care is important for maintaining a healthy smile. It is never fun when a problem comes up and a dental procedure is required. However, the sooner you take care of it, the easier it will be to fix. Here are some symptoms that you can expect to experience after your next dental procedure.

Pain and Discomfort

Unfortunately, you may experience some pain and discomfort after your dental procedure. The simple fact that you have kept your mouth wide open for an extended period of time means that there will likely be some muscle strain. Some procedures are more invasive. The more invasive the procedure, the more chance you have of developing some irritation to the nerve. When a tooth is extracted, it is normal for the site to be quite sore and for the surrounding area to swell. This can normally be addressed with ice compresses and typical over-the-counter painkillers. When pain is severe or lasts longer than expected, call your dentist right away. You may be experiencing a complication that needs to be addressed immediately.

What You Can and Can’t Eat

You should stick with soft foods after a dental procedure like Jell-O, pudding, and potatoes. Even for simple procedures, you risk biting your lip, tongue, or the inside of your cheeks when you attempt to eat crunchy or chewy foods while your mouth is still numb. Biting any area of your mouth without being able to sense the pain can lead to painful, open wounds. For extractions, it is critical to keep the open gum tissue free of food particles, which can irritate the sensitive tissue and cause infections. To avoid this, you will need to eat liquid or soft foods until the area is healed.

Bleeding

Bleeding is normal after any tooth extraction, although the type of tooth extracted will influence how long the bleeding will last. Extracted wisdom teeth can bleed for twenty-four hours after the procedure. All other extractions should stop within a couple of hours. All extracted teeth form a blood clot, which is your gum’s way of healing. If an extracted tooth has stopped bleeding, but begins again hours or days later, you have likely disrupted the blood clot. Simply apply pressure with gauze and the clot should form again. If bleeding is extreme or lasts longer than normal, call your dentist.

If you are experiencing pain, swelling, discomfort, or even bleeding after a dental procedure, don’t worry. Your body is simply reacting to the procedure and telling you to take it easy and rest your mouth. Don’t push yourself, and you should feel better in no time.

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