Thick Saliva After a Tooth Extraction- What Does This Mean?

Serious tooth decay is the most common reason for a tooth extraction. Your dentist may also recommend an extraction if you have gum disease, overcrowded teeth, impacted teeth, or teeth breakage. Regardless of the reason you need a tooth extraction, this is a fairly common procedure that causes minimal pain and discomfort.

The other day, we had a patient schedule a tooth extraction. He was very concerned about some of the side effects he read about online. One of these side effects was thick saliva. We explained to him that thick saliva after a tooth extraction is 100% normal. In fact, it would be concerning if he didn’t experience this side effect after getting his tooth pulled.

When a dentist removes your tooth, your body automatically treats the area as a wound that need to be healed. As a result, your saliva thickens and you begin to have an excessive amount of it. It works as a healing and disinfecting agent that will naturally clean your mouth out of bacteria, blood vessels, and unnecessary cells.

The good news is that there are several ways you can control your drooling. First and foremost, we suggest using gauze pads and getting into the habit of swallowing your saliva rather than spitting it out. We also discourage staw usage and encourage the use of a warm compress.

Your saliva shouldn’t be thick forever. In fact, it should go back to normal as soon as you’ve completely recovered from your tooth extraction. In the event your saliva continues to be thick weeks or months after you’ve recovered, schedule an appointment at our office. We’ll examine your mouth and determine the underlying cause of the thickness.

Contact Wells Family Dental Group

If you’d like more information on what to expect after a tooth extraction, we encourage you to call our Raleigh, NC office today at 919-266-5332. We look forward to hearing from you!