Tooth Extraction

[FableLies]

Had a tooth extraction this morning. All fine. Had no idea about the after care! My dentist said to rest today and then assess how I feel about activity. But online, it says at least 72 hours to week before exercising. Do I really need to wait that long? Would martial arts on Tuesday be foolish? Yoga on Monday?

All the other advice on the pamphlet the dentist gave me seems less strict than online. Eg no hot drinks and soft food only for first day? Online says far longer. Not sure which advice to follow.

Any experience? I don't want dry socket but I don't want to impact my fitness either.

HI. I'm in the Saturday Extraction Club too!
Not sure about exercise. I wasn't told anything, but I don't look like an 'exerciser'.
I was told to keep up regular pain killers though.

Google has done a head job on me regarding dry socket! I was expecting to scoff a veggie burger, have a glass of wine later, and practise some kicking. But Google says no. And no for several days to a week!

Haven't had any painkillers yet. What time did you have yours? Mine was just gone 8am.

I had a forgotten root removed at 9:30. Painkillers at half 10 and now. It hurts.

I had a wisdom tooth out ten days ago. Painkillers were suggested after three hours had passed after extraction to cover the wearing off of the injection. Then as needed. I didn’t exercise for 48 hours and felt ok to do yoga, small weights and swimming after that time. I didn’t retune to running or rowing or cycling for 72 hours. The reason is that you don’t want the blood clot covering the bone to shift - which it can do under exertion especially if your blood pressure raises up. Losing the blood clot leads to dry socket.
after 24 hours do salt water swishy rinses to clean the extraction site. Don’t suck on straws etc as that can dislodge the clot. Return to proper food when you feel able to after 24 hours. Chunkier is better or liquidy soup stuff. Not rice as it can get stuck in hole! Tbf I ate ryvita within the first day!

You need to avoid losing the blood clot in the socket until the bottom heals. Otherwise you get dry socket which is possibly the most painful thing you will ever experience. It's worse than childbirth. And I have 4 kids.

So nothing that will dislodge or dissolve it. It takes about a week to heal enough that losing the clot won't matter. Avoid very hot drinks, anything bitty like rice or mince that can get stuck in it, absolutely no smoking/vaping or drinking from straws. Nothing that creates vacuum in the mouth.

Alcohol is a bad idea for at least 48 hours, including mouthwash. Martial arts isn't a great idea. Yoga will be fine, you're unlikely to get hit in the face at Yoga and it shouldn't raise your blood pressure too high.

Managed to deal with the pain? Mine's aching but nothing terrible.

I had an hour of bad but manageable pain. Better at the moment.

Just gone to bed as I'm tired and bored. Took a look at the area and I don't think I have a blood clot. I see white.

You do. If you didn't, you'd be in agony, the bone would be exposed. The white is granulation tissue, leave it be, you need it. Its a stage of healing.

It now looks like I have part of a tooth next to a clot. It's not in the hole, but poking up like a tooth surrounded by dark red. Think I'll give the dentist a call tomorrow.

I had a similar experience a few months back after a molar extraction, and honestly the after-care advice online can make you feel like you’re one wrong move away from disaster. My dentist gave guidance much closer to what yours said: take it easy for the first 24 hours, avoid hot food/drinks initially, and then gradually return to normal as long as you’re not feeling any throbbing or bleeding.

The big thing that affects whether you can get back into exercise is how stable the blood clot is. High-intensity workouts, martial arts, or anything that spikes heart rate can increase the risk of dislodging it, which is why so many sites say to wait 72 hours or more. For lighter stuff like gentle yoga, most dentists say it’s okay after the first day or two as long as you avoid inversions or anything that puts pressure on the head.

If you want a quick reference for proper after-care or a second opinion, you can visit here, which is the location for Indental Castle Hill, they’ve got pretty sensible, down-to-earth advice compared with the dramatic stuff Google throws at you.

For what it’s worth, I waited three days before doing any real training again, and it healed perfectly. If you’re unsure, I’d just give yourself that buffer. A couple of extra days off is better than risking dry socket, which really is as unpleasant as people say.