You had agreed to get your tooth extracted and your dentist had extracted. Things went well. Now you need to know what are the important points you need to keep in mind after the tooth extraction procedures. Here they are,

1. Your extracted area may bleed and can soak the gauze. After a while, may be after 30 minutes of time, the blood is going to clot in the extracted area and this is the first step towards healing process. Only change the gauze should after 30 minutes after is is soaked in blood. You can keep changing the gauze till the bleeding has completely stopped.
2. Do not spit – Spitting may actually not allow the clot to form or take hold.
3. You might definitely have an urge to feel the extracted area with your fingers or with your tongue. Remember, the extracted area has developed a clot and that will be disturbed. Hence refrain from putting your fingers or tongue in the extracted area.
4. If the tooth has been extracted by surgical method, swelling around the extracted area is something that would definitely occur. If the extracted tooth is a wisdom tooth, the swelling is guaranteed to happen. The worst swelling can be on the 2^nd and 3^rd day of the extraction. After the extraction is completed at your dentist office and after getting home, apply icepacks on the extracted area for 15 minutes, take a break for 15 minutes. Do this on and off until you go to bed.
5. For the first 24 hours after the tooth extraction, do not rinse your mouth with water. But after 24 hours you can gently rinse with warm salt water.
6. If you are someone who loves hot and spicy food, here is a not so good news to you. Since your tooth extraction has just been done and since the extracted area needs to heal, do not indulge in hot and spicy food for a couple of days.
7. Remember that your dentist had prescribed you few drugs. The drugs may be painkillers and drugs that aid in healing. Take your drugs without fail
8. If the dentist has given you sutures in the extracted area, the dentist would definitely inform you about the removal of the same. Do not forget to visit the dentist on the prescribed date to remove those sutures.
9. Last but not the least. Abstain from alcohol and smoking atleast for a couple of days as they could potentially disturb the healing process.