Can I drink coffee after tooth extraction?
Tooth extraction in adults is a surgical operation, albeit a small one. And doctors usually give out a list of recommendations on what to eat or drink, how to care for the wound and oral cavity. In the next few hours, the restrictions are more stringent, sometimes you need to be careful for a few more days until everything heals.
But treatment is always stressful, and many people worry about drinking coffee after tooth extraction. After all, it always pacifies, adjusts to the usual way, but won't it hurt? We understand all the features and reasons for the prohibitions.
Why can't you drink coffee right after tooth extraction?
When a tooth is removed, a wound remains in the mouth and it bleeds. Usually, the doctor puts on a gauze pad to form a blood clot that closes the wound.
You can drink water, but carefully so as not to wet the area too much, but coffee and other drinks containing caffeine should be discarded for at least 3 hours to close the wound.
- Caffeine constricts blood vessels in the brain, but can dilate muscle vessels. Therefore, bleeding may increase and the wound will close more slowly.
- Caffeine raises blood pressure and therefore blood flow can also take longer and a healed wound can open up again.
- Because of caffeine, more acid is formed in the stomach for digestion, but food cannot be eaten in the coming hours either, and therefore increased acidity can cause heartburn, nausea, or even vomiting, and this can all get to the wound, irritating it, causing pain.
Drinking coffee before tooth extraction, hoping to get a boost of caffeine for the day, is not recommended: it often reduces the effect of anesthesia and shortens its duration. If you drank strong coffee on the day of surgery, inform your doctor.
Rules for drinking coffee after tooth extraction?
It is best to discuss this matter with your dentist. Because operations to remove a tooth are of varying complexity, and only a specialist knows better what was done and how.
If you need to return to work or school right after your procedure and you cannot concentrate without coffee, talk with your doctor. In most cases, you can confidently drink your favorite drink after 3 hours.
If you are going to drink coffee, make sure it is cool enough. Dentists recommend a lukewarm drink, up to 35 degrees, as excessively hot liquid causes blood flow and can soak a tightened wound.
In addition, due to the rush of blood, nerve endings are activated, and the pain will become stronger. On the first day or two, it is advisable not to eat too hot food at all and not drink hot drinks.
- Drink not black coffee, but with milk or cream, they will reduce the concentration of caffeine and make the drink more enveloping.
- Choose a filtered drink, no thick. It can enter your stomach and cause heartburn, amplifying the effects of caffeine, and you won't be able to eat soon.
- Coffee with alcohol is prohibited for at least a day. Usually, after tooth extraction, an antibiotic or substance with a similar effect is prescribed, which may be incompatible with even a small amount of alcohol. In addition, it thins the blood, and the wound will heal slowly.
- Iced coffee can help relieve swelling and relieve some pain, but if you have sensitive teeth, it is also better to skip it.
- It is not recommended to add any spices, including cinnamon, lemon, pepper, as they can increase blood circulation or cause pain when getting into the wound.
Try to be caffeine-free for the first 3 hours. The taste of coffee is unlikely to be enjoyed from the mouth will still be under anesthesia, dry, and numb.
How much coffee can you drink after tooth extraction?
Dentists recommend that you avoid exposing your body to large doses of caffeine, and limit yourself to one or two cups a day. If the removal was carried out in the afternoon, one cup will be enough, and then if you have low blood pressure and cannot concentrate.
At the same time, coffee drunk at night can have a stronger effect (since the body is in a state of stress), the body will not be able to sleep and rest, and pain will be felt. After sleeping, the pain tends to be less painful. Therefore, it is better not to drink coffee, but to give the body the opportunity to recover.
Important: If you have been drinking coffee, check to see if your pain reliever tablets contain caffeine. You can get an overdose, especially if you take the pills at night in order to fall asleep without pain.
How to drink coffee after tooth extraction: through a straw or from a cup?
There are various recommendations on the network: some experts advise drinking all drinks through a straw so that they do not fall on the wound, others advocate ordinary drinking.
If the dentist recommends using a tube, you can clarify what prompted this advice, because the cases are different.
More and more leading dentists agree that the tube should not be used, because when the fluid is sucked in, a vacuum is created in the oral cavity, and this causes blood to flow to the gums.
Abrupt absorption can damage a healing wound, prevent a blood clot from forming, or tear off a crust, causing bleeding and pain.
If you drink coffee after having a tooth removed, do it from a small cup, in small sips, taking care not to get the drink on the sore spot. A certain amount is not so scary, especially since when you eat, even if you chew on the other side, something will get in anyway.
It is enough to then gently rinse your mouth with the agent recommended by the dentist, and everything will be in order.
Conclusions
- It is recommended to drink coffee at least 3 hours after the tooth extraction if the wound is no longer bleeding and is slightly tightened.
- Caffeine can cause increased bleeding from the wound.
- It is better to drink in small sips, from a cup, and not from a straw.
- The best option is warm (up to 35 degrees) coffee with milk, or ice-cold to relieve swelling.
- You should not add spices and alcohol to the drink for at least a day.
- Rinse your mouth out after drinking coffee.
All information and articles available on this site are for educational purposes only. The information given here should not be used without any expert advice for the diagnosis or treatment of any health related problem or disease. Always seek the advice of a qualified doctor for medical examination and treatment.