Instead of grabbing the floss and yanking the tooth out like your father may have done, encourage your child to wiggle the tooth free by himself. The tongue is the best tool for the job, and a gentle rocking motion will typically do the trick eventually. If you need to help your child with the task, pinch the tooth between your thumb and first finger with a cotton gauze pad covering the tooth and rock back and forth gently. If the tooth offers any resistance, it is not ready for removal. If concerned about a loose tooth that won’t seem to fall out, consult your child’s dentist.
A quick rinse and spit with cool water immediately after the tooth is removed can help clear the mouth of blood, but don’t continue with any rinsing after that. You want to help a clot form, not wash it away.
Wad up one or a few clean gauze pads that you have dampened with clean water, which will help prevent blood from sticking to it. Have your child bite down on the pad and keep biting down for fifteen minutes. [2] X Research source Instruct your child not to release pressure on the pad or move it around. Have him bite down and keep biting down. It may not be an easy sell for you, but remind your kid of the reward to come from the Tooth Fairy. You may have to hold the gauze in place for a small child, especially if you are concerned he may swallow the pad. Check after fifteen minutes. If the bleeding has not stopped, place a new gauze pad as before and contact your child’s dentist.
Swallowing blood can cause nausea. This is also why you should tilt your head forward when you have a nosebleed.
Don’t use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol-based rinses either. These can also dissolve or dislodge clots. Hot drinks and foods can also restart bleeding, so skip the soup until the next day. Drinking cold water is the best way to hydrate after a lost tooth for kids and adults. You can begin rinsing with tepid water and salt (about one teaspoon per cup of water) the day after the tooth removal to help keep the area clean. Make sure the child can and will spit out the salt water, though.
Continued bleeding may be a sign that a broken-off piece of the tooth remains, that some sort of damage has occurred in the area, or that your child has a medical condition that makes excessive bleeding a problem. Play it safe and contact a professional. That said, a little bit of oozing from the lost tooth site or a bit of pink tint to your child’s saliva does not indicate active bleeding. If blood is not pooling or dripping from the area, it is generally safe to wait it out.
Let a dental professional diagnose your problem and solve it properly, and perhaps even save the tooth in the process. [4] X Research source
The following steps offer general advice for bleeding care after tooth removal; they are not a substitute for your dentist’s specific advice.
Keep constant pressure on the wad of gauze, and keep it still in your mouth. You do not want to disrupt clot formation. If the gauze becomes saturated with blood within fifteen minutes, add new gauze to the existing wad without removing the old. Again, you don’t want to disrupt clot formation. After the initial gauze packing of 45-60 minutes, you may need to continue applying new gauze wads for three to five additional hours, or even longer. Follow your dentist’s instructions.
Also worth repeating from the baby tooth section: Nausea is a common result of swallowing blood, so tilt you head forward a little whenever your mouth (or nose) is bleeding.
The tannic acid found in black tea promotes the clotting of blood, so try moistening a regular old black tea bag and bite down on it as you do the gauze pads. [7] X Research source Hold it in place for fifteen minutes and see if the bleeding has stopped or slowed. Repeat as necessary with new bags. [8] X Research source The tea may cause a temporary staining of your surrounding teeth and gums, but this will soon disappear.
Rinse and spit with a mixture of one cup lukewarm water and about one teaspoon of salt. Do so once or more daily, 24 hours after your tooth extraction, or as advised by your dentist. Other than possibly a quick rinse right after tooth extraction, avoid rinsing and spitting while the blood is clotting in your mouth. Peroxide and alcohol-based rinses in particular can inhibit clot formation. Your dentist may want you to limit mouth rinsing for days after the extraction to prevent dry socket, which is when a dissolved clot exposes the hole left behind after an extraction. This can cause pain or infection.
Blood that is dripping or pooling at the extraction site within 15-20 seconds of removing a gauze pad indicates active bleeding. In addition to keeping your head elevated, limiting exercise for a few days is another way to reduce the chance of continued bleeding. Exercise increases blood pressure, which in turn makes bleeding more likely. [9] X Research source
