Some people heal faster than others. You need to keep your mouth and extraction site as clean as possi­ble so that no bacteria gets into them. Make sure they're free from any food or debris. Don't rinse out your mouth for the first 24 hours after extraction. This will help your mouth to start healing.

After 24 hours, you can use a salt water rinse to help speed up healing.  Add a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and gently rinse the socket twice a day.  Keep up with the salt rinse for at least a week or however long your dentist advises you too.

A small amount of pain and discomfort is expected after a tooth extraction and this can be eased by over the counter pain medication or tablets prescribed by your dentist. However if your pain increases or you develop new pain, then contact your dentist or oral surgeon immediately. 

Do not rinse out the extraction area for the first 24 hours as it is important to allow the socket to heal. You must also be careful not to damage the blood clot by rinsing, as as well as eating on that side or letting your tongue disturb it. 

Avoid drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours, as this can encourage bleeding and delay healing. Avoid eating and drinking anything hot for at least 24 hours after the procedure. Also avoid smoking if you can as this can dislodge the blood clot in the socket and cause dry socket.

It is just as important to keep your mouth clean after an extraction, so you just need to be careful around the extraction site and brush gently to avoid dislodging the blood clot.

It is very common to experience slight bleeding for the first day or so. It may appear that you have a lot of bleeding but this is only due to the fact that a small amount of blood is mixed with a much larger amount of saliva; so even watered down, it may look more dramatic than it is.

If you do notice bleeding, you must not rinse it out. Instead,  bite down on a folded piece of clean cotton material such as a handkerchief or guaze for at least 15 minutes, this will apply pressure to the socket. Make sure this is placed directly over the socket and replace the pad if necessary.

If the bleeding has not stopped after an hour or two, contact your dentist. 

If out of hours please call NHS 111

When you have a tooth extracted, there’s always some risk of having a dry socket develop afterwards. It’s usually caused by bleeding into the space where the root was cut out. A dry socket occurs when there isn't enough bleeding after an extraction. It usually happens within 24 hours of surgery but may occur up to 72 hours later.

A blood clot normally forms at the site where an extracted tooth was removed from the gum tissue. It protects the nerves from further damage by filling up the space where they would normally be exposed. In addition, the clot helps provide the foundation for the growth and development of new bones and tissues over the clot.

If the underlying bone and nerves are exposed, this will result in intense pain in the socket as well as along in the nerves radiating to the side of your face. The socket then becomes inflamed and may even fill with food debris, which can cause infections as well as adding to the pain. If you are unfortunate to develop dry socket, the pain will usually start around 1-3 days after your tooth extraction. So keep an eye on the area and contact your dentist as soon as you suspect you may have dry socket due to the loss or lack of blood clot.