When wisdom teeth come through it’s fair to say they can be a little more than a big pain. They can not only be seriously uncomfortable, but they can become frequently infected leaving people heading for multiple trips to the dentist. So, what can be done?
Wisdom teeth removal
It’s becoming far less common for the dentist in Tunbridge Wells to remove wisdom teeth, however, if it is done the aftermath can cause discomfort, swelling and minor bleeding and while this is actually totally normal there’s something very British that we all have in our homes that could seriously help alleviate some pain: tea bags.
How does the tea bag remedy work?
Whilst you might be thinking that you should be heading for gauze, in actual fact tea bags are an excellent method for stopping bleeding and helping blood to clot, this is important as it will help protect the bone whilst healing.
Which are the tea bags to use?
A study performed by the Hindari Journal explained the effect that green tea had on stopping gum disease bleeding, as green tea contains polyphenol compounds which have antioxidant properties. It’s these properties along with the tannins also found in them that can help to significantly stop bleeding.
Black tea can also help as it has high levels of tannins, as tannins can seriously affect the length of clotting time and the strength of the clot formed.
Using the tea bag method for clotting
The method itself is pretty simple, now it’s important to note that tannins as great as they are for clotting and healing, aren’t so great for the colour of our teeth as they are what causes staining on our enamel. With this in mind it’s a good idea to brush and floss after you’ve performed the method on yourself.
First of all, soak a black or green tea bag in boiling hot water for around two to three minutes.
After this take the tea bag out of the water and leave it to cool down for around five minutes or so.
Put the cooled down tea bag on the surgery site and very gently bite down on it. You should keep the tea bag in place for about five minutes.
If you go on to experience lots of bleeding, swelling, or extreme pain then you should contact your dentist for further support on what to do next.
A little on wisdom teeth
The removal of wisdom teeth is actually nothing to worry about and has to be done for lots of people. More often than not it’s just to do with which way the teeth have grown and is causing areas for bacteria to get trapped in and multiply. If you’re worried about your wisdom teeth or those of your child then get in contact with the dentist who will be able to offer you further support. Gargling with salt water is a really good way to keep infections at bay and icing the cheek will reduce swelling and ease any discomfort too.
