What to do with the hole after tooth extraction

We know that after a tooth is extracted, a very deep tooth cavity will be left behind. When eating, some food will always get stuck in the cavity. For this reason, many friends are worried that food residues will remain in the tooth cavity, slowly accumulate and breed bacteria, and eventually cause symptoms of redness, swelling and inflammation of the gums. Therefore, many people consider filling their teeth as soon as possible after tooth extraction. In fact, few people know that the hole left after tooth extraction can heal on its own.

1. Cavity healing stage

The so-called tooth cavity is actually the wound left after tooth extraction, and this wound will heal. The process can be roughly divided into four stages:

1. Blood clots form to protect the wound. After tooth extraction, the wound will continue to bleed. This process will last about 15-30 minutes, after which the blood will coagulate into a blood clot to seal the wound. This is actually a kind of self-protection mechanism. The blood clot can protect the wound, avoid infection and promote healing. However, these blood clots are not stable and can be damaged and fall off by the slightest external impact, which will slow down the wound healing, increase the pain and make it prone to infection. Therefore, it is generally recommended not to brush your teeth within 24 hours after tooth extraction.

2. Blood clots evolve and granulation tissue germinates. 24 hours after tooth extraction, the gums shrink and the blood clot begins to turn into granulation tissue. This process lasts about 7 days, after which the blood clot disappears and is completely replaced by granulation tissue.

3. Granulation tissue disappears and connective tissue appears. About 30 days after the formation of granulation tissue, connective tissue and epithelial tissue will continue to grow to replace the granulation tissue. At the same time, new bone will begin to form during this period, and the edge of the gum will begin to grow from the edge to the middle, thus covering the wound.

4. The wound heals and the tooth bone matures. In the 3-6 months after the wound is covered by the gums, mature bone tissue will replace the immature bone and the alveolar process will be functionally reconstructed. Only then can the wound be truly healed.

2. Precautions for wound healing after tooth extraction

During the entire wound healing process, what we need to do is not only to protect the wound from external damage, but also to prevent infection inside the oral cavity. Within one week after tooth extraction, while the blood clots form granulation tissue, you can use normal saline to clean the mouth to achieve the effect of disinfection; at the same time, adhere to daily oral care, brush your teeth and rinse your mouth in the morning and evening, rinse your mouth half an hour after meals, and it is best not to touch the wound with hard objects such as toothbrushes and toothpicks to avoid causing new trauma and infection; try to talk less, do not exercise vigorously, pay attention to rest, and do not touch the wound with your fingers and tongue for 3 days after tooth extraction. If you still experience bleeding symptoms 24 hours after tooth extraction, please go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.

If you insist that you need a filling, you have to wait until the wound heals before doing so, otherwise it will cause secondary damage to the wound. Dentures that are made in advance according to the shape of teeth may not be strong enough because the wound after tooth extraction does not close tightly, so it is recommended to wait until the wound heals before processing.