How Salt Water Helps Your Mouth During Extraction Recovery

Posted on 7/13/2019 by Rodney Rastegar

Recovering from a tooth extraction requires a person to do several things. Whether it is a simple extraction or a surgical extraction, taking care of the site where the tooth once was is important.

One of the things that people do to help them ease the pain of recovery and to help speed up their recovery is to rinse their mouth out with warm salt water. While some people will do this because they are told to do it, others want to know why something so simple can help them.

What is a Salt Water Rinse?

A salt water rinse is one of the tools people have after they have an extraction or some type of oral surgery. It is a simple process that involves dissolving a teaspoon of table salt in a small glass of warm water. You drink the warm salt water without swallowing and swish it around your mouth for less than a minute. Once you have done that, you spit the salt water out.

What it Accomplishes
Salt water is not a taste that most people enjoy, but the reason for using a salt water rinse after an extraction has nothing to do with taste. It is what the salt water offers that makes it something worth doing. One of the biggest benefits of a warm salt water rinse is its ability to help fight infections.

The salt water can inhibit the growth of bacteria that could cause an infection around the extraction site. In addition to that, it can help remove any debris that builds up in the mouth that can cause problems healing from the extraction. The salt also promotes healing too.

Using a salt water rinse is easy. Salt and water are two things almost everyone has access to. It only takes a few minutes to do this several times a day and it can make the recovery from extraction easier. It is best to wait 24 hours before using a salt water rinse to help protect the extraction site and to prevent any other problems.

For more information about this or any other oral health issue, contact our office to schedule an appointment.

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Progressive Oral Surgery & Implantology of Long Is, 601 Franklin Ave Suite #110, Garden City, NY 11530 | (516) 741-4415 | progressiveoralsurgery.com | 5/16/2025 | Related Phrases: dental implants Garden City NY |