How soon can I eat after a tooth extraction?

It is advised not to eat until the anaesthesia wears off, usually two to four hours; biting a numb lip, cheek or tongue is common. Once sensation returns you can start with soft, lukewarm foods, chewing on the side away from the extraction. Hot drinks are best avoided on the first day.

When can I smoke after a tooth extraction?

Smoking can contribute to the clot in the socket breaking down and to dry socket, and it delays healing. For this reason it is advised to avoid smoking during healing if possible, or at least for the first days. Your dentist will also tell you how long, depending on the procedure performed.

How long does bleeding last after an extraction?

Light oozing is normal in the first hours, and pink-tinged saliva may be seen for a few hours. Pressing by gently biting on a clean gauze pad for 30–45 minutes is usually enough. Bleeding that continues for hours despite this needs assessment; people taking blood thinners should tell their dentist before the extraction.

How do I recognise dry socket?

With dry socket, pain usually increases rather than decreases two to four days after the extraction, may spread to the ear and may come with a bad taste in the mouth. No clot may be visible in the socket. It is not a condition to wait out; the area needs to be assessed by a dentist.

What to Do After a Tooth Extraction

What to Expect After a Tooth Extraction

After an extraction, a blood clot forms in the socket. This clot is the structure from which bone and gum healing begin, and most of the advice for the first days is aimed at not disturbing it. How quickly healing progresses depends on how difficult the extraction was, the position of the tooth and the person's general health.

The first hours: the gauze pad and the clot

Gently biting on the gauze pad placed after the extraction for as long as your dentist advises, usually 30–45 minutes, helps the bleeding stop. While the anaesthesia is still working, do not chew and avoid hot drinks; unknowingly biting a numb lip, cheek or tongue is a common problem.

What to avoid in the first 24 hours

Spitting and rinsing vigorously: these can dislodge the clot.
Drinking through a straw: the suction can disturb the clot.
Smoking and alcohol: they delay healing and increase the risk of dry socket.
Very hot drinks and strenuous physical exertion: they can restart bleeding.
Touching the area with your tongue or fingers.

Pain and swelling

Some pain after the anaesthesia wears off is normal and is managed with the medicines your dentist recommends. On the first day, intermittent cold applied to the outside of the cheek, for example 10–15 minutes on followed by a break, may help limit swelling. Swelling, especially after surgical extractions, may peak on the second or third day and then gradually subside.

Eating

Once sensation returns, soft and lukewarm foods are preferred: yoghurt, soup, purée, omelette and similar. Chew on the side away from the extraction. Hard, crunchy and small-particle foods (seeds, crisps) are not suitable in the first days, as they can get into the socket.

Oral care

The other teeth can be brushed gently on the same day; do not touch the extraction site with the brush on the first day. If your dentist advises it, from the next day a gentle rinse with lukewarm salt water can be used, holding it in the mouth and letting it out without swishing. If stitches were placed and they are not the dissolving type, they are usually removed after one week to ten days.

What is dry socket (alveolitis)?

Dry socket is when the clot breaks down early or is dislodged, leaving the bone exposed. It usually shows itself two to four days after the extraction as pain that increases rather than decreases, may spread to the ear, and comes with a bad taste in the mouth. It is more common in smokers and after extraction of lower wisdom teeth. It is not a condition to wait out; it needs to be assessed.

After a wisdom tooth extraction

Extracting impacted or partially impacted wisdom teeth often involves working on the gum and bone. For this reason, swelling, limited mouth opening and bruising on the cheek may be more noticeable than after other extractions. Because lower wisdom teeth can lie close to a nerve, a radiological assessment is made before extraction; numbness of the lip or tongue that lasts beyond the duration of the anaesthesia after extraction should be reported to your dentist.

When should you seek care without delay?

Bleeding that continues for hours despite pressing on a gauze pad
Pain that increases after the second or third day, or a bad taste in the mouth
Swelling that keeps growing, fever or difficulty swallowing
Numbness of the lip, chin or tongue lasting beyond the duration of the anaesthesia
Marked limitation of mouth opening that does not improve within a few days

What replaces the extracted tooth?

Over time, the gap left by an extracted tooth can cause neighbouring and opposing teeth to shift. How the gap is addressed depends on the position of the tooth, the bone structure and the person's expectations. General information about the options can be found on the implant and dentures pages.

This article is for general information purposes and does not replace a clinical examination. Aftercare following an extraction is also advised by your dentist according to the procedure performed and your health.