How to Avoid Getting Dry Socket
- 1). The most important thing to remember after having your wisdom teeth removed is to follow the dentist's instructions carefully. Right after surgery, you will be told to bite firmly down on the rolled up gauze that is placed over the extraction site. The pressure will help stop the bleeding. Changing of the gauze needs to be done every hour or so, but be careful not to change it too often.
- 2). To help with clotting, you can take a used tea bag and bite down on it instead of the gauze. The tannic acid in the tea bag is supposed to be good for helping clots form.
- 3). Once bleeding has pretty much stopped, which could be that same day or the next, you do not have to bite down on the gauze or tea bag anymore. You will now want to softly gargle warm salt water a couple of times a day. You can just pour about 1 tsp of salt in a cup of warm water.
- 4). The next few days will be crucial when eating and drinking. Do NOT eat anything that requires a lot of chewing and absolutely NO STRAWS. The sucking will cause the clot to dislodge. Also avoid foods that are grainy, crunchy, have small pieces, or are very citric. In other words, stick with soft foods and eat shakes with spoons. Also avoid alcohol and carbonated drinks for the first three days.
- 5). One last thing to remember is that when brushing your teeth very gently, avoid the surgical site and do not swish water vigorously in your mouth. Also, spit the water out softly. The key is to keep the clot in place.
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