How to Stop the Bleeding from a Pulled Tooth

When a tooth is extracted it disrupts the blood supply to the tooth. The small blood vessels at the base of the tooth, called capillaries, are ruptured, along with some others in the gum around the tooth. Provided the extraction was straightforward, requiring forceps only there would only be a limited amount of bleeding. If the extraction were more difficult, requiring a surgical approach, then there would be the likelihood of more post-operative bleeding.

When the capillaries are ruptured they tend to carry on leaking blood for a little while due to the pressure of the arterial system. There is a natural tendency for this to gradually subside and cease as a blood clot forms in the socket. The blood clot is a plug which prevents further blood loss and needs to be left undisturbed. This why, after having a tooth pulled, your dentist will ask you to bite on a sterile gauze pressure pad for a while to encourage a clot to form.

The time taken for a stable blood clot to form can vary, but usually takes from 20-30 minutes, sometimes longer. Clot formation is encouraged by pressure over the socket where the tooth came out, and this is why your dentist will ask you to bite down on a piece of sterile gauze for a while. He or she will then check to see if bleeding has stopped before discharging you. If it has not a further period of biting on a fresh piece of gauze may be necessary.

Sometimes slight oozing from the socket may persist for several hours or even overnight. This is more likely if there was infection present around the tooth. As long as this is not rapid or profuse it can usually be controlled by continued use of pressure pads. If you do not have any gauze supplies a moistened teabag makes a good substitute. The tannic acid in the tea helps to promote blood clotting.

During the first 24 hours after a tooth is removed the clot can be easily dislodged and cause bleeding to restart. In order to prevent this you should refrain from any vigorous rinsing, or even cleaning your teeth. Rinsing the mouth or using a toothbrush in the area of the extraction could disturb the blood clot and cause slight haemorrhage again. You should also avoid alcohol and vigorous exercise for the first 24 hours after extraction, as these too can encourage haemorrhage.

If you should have a problem with persistent bleeding or bleeding starting again it would be best to see your dentist again. It may be necessary to suture the socket in order to adequately retain the clot, or even pack the socket with a bio-compatible haemostatic material to encourage clotting.

In most cases, once the initial clot has formed your jaw is on its way to healing, and the clot is gradually replaced from the bottom of the socket by new bone which grows to eventually fill in the whole socket.

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