What should you rinse with after tooth extraction?

Your dentist gave you lots of instructions after you had your wisdom tooth extracted. You just got home and everything is still a bloody mess but again what were you supposed to do? Can you rinse or not?

After tooth extraction, Guest Posts have specific instructions on what you can and cannot do. You need to monitor them very closely to avoid continued bleeding from the extraction socket.

Post-Surgery Instructions for Extraction:

The day of the procedure - do not rinse, spit and drink through a straw.

Bite on a folded piece of gauze for 30 minutes.

Change to a new piece of gauze every 30 minutes until the bleeding stops.

If the bleeding continues, you can wet a black tea bag and bite into it.

Starting the day later, you can start rinsing with salt water after each meal.

Just to reiterate, start rinsing with salt water after each meal, but not the day after tooth extraction, but the next day.

Put about a teaspoon of salt in a glass.

Add 8oz of water.

Rinse your mouth very vigorously to remove any food residue from the socket.

You can repeat more than once to make sure all food particles are removed.

It is important to remember that you should only do this the next day, as any type of rinsing will cause continued bleeding.

Why does it bleed more after rinsing?

It bleeds when you rinse it because the blood clot is trying to form, but any pressure in the mouth will dislodge the blood clot and this is usually when the bleeding continues. If you think about it, spitting and drinking through a straw puts a lot of pressure on the mouth. This is what you want to avoid, pressure in the mouth. The bleeding should stop the next day, so we recommend rinsing with salt water.

What happens if you don't rinse with salt water?

If you don't do this type of mouth rinse, food will get stuck in the extraction slots, which will delay healing. It will take longer for your body to close the hole in your gums because food continues to interfere with the healing process.

Besides delayed healing, food stuck there will start to ferment. What this means is that it will start to stink. What do you think will happen when you leave food on the table for the next 7 days? Will it start to rot and smell right? The same thing happens if food gets stuck in the hole and you leave it there for days. You will begin to notice a very bad smell.

Maybe then you will be encouraged to rinse with salt water.

Rinsing with salt water has a final additional effect, and that is that salt has a natural anti-inflammatory effect. It will help reduce swelling in the area. If you can keep the swelling in the gums under control, there will be a chance to heal faster. I hope you picked up a few new tricks when you got an extraction!

Maybe then you will be encouraged to rinse with salt water.