My dad just got 4 teeth pulled today, and he’s freaking out because the hole(s) where the teeth were taken from (and some bone filed away) aren’t clotting up, and he’s dripping blood.
I say there’s no problem, because HE JUST HAD FOUR TEETH RIPPED OUT OF THE HOLES. He, on the other hand, is freaking out and moaning in the corner. I’m not going to tell him to call the doctor until tomorrow (give it time). Right now he’s got some gauze clamped in there that has been wetted down to make sure the blood, if it does clot, doesn’t stick to the gauze.
Is there anything I can tell him, maybe even an old wives tale, that may help promote blood clotting up and starting the healing process? Asprin promotes blood thining, right? So what is the opposite?
My only personal experience with anything like this was after a bad bike accident, where one of my knees was still bleeding slightly even after a couple of days. The doctor said not to worry about it, so I tried not to.
For oral surgery, this site http://www.smiles4ever.com/oralsurgery.htm recommends placing sterile gauze on the wound and biting down on it for 45 minute sessions, replacing the gauze and cleaning the wound between sessions. They say to call the doctor if excessive bleeding occurs, but they don’t define excessive.
I agree with you that you kind of have to expect bleeding with big gaping holes in your mouth, but I’d err on the side of caution on this one and call the dentist, if only to alleviate your dad’s freaking out. If there really is a problem they’ll want to know about it, if there isn’t a problem your dad might be reassured by a professional opinion.
A quick google search for “blood thickening” revealed a surprising number of hits for cocaine, but I really wouldn’t recommend that. Any systemic drug would probably not be recommended, since it could lead to worse problems. There’s topical stuff like that liquid bandage, but I don’t know how well it would stick in the mouth. If the doctor didn’t recommend anything, probably best just to leave it alone.
If the doctor says not to worry about it and your dad is still upset, you could always go for the placebo effect. Ask the doctor if there’s something like an ice pack on the back of the neck for 5 minutes that won’t do any harm and would make your dad feel like he is doing something to make it better.
When I had my wisdom teeth out, I always had blood on the pillow the next day (I had one out and infected one, then several months later, I had the remaining three removed).
Would something like witch hazel or other astringent help? They don’t clot blood, per se, but they help the wound close which would help a clot form. I don’t know about putting them in your mouth, though, since they may be toxic.
Vitamin K is the blood clotting vitamin - perhaps a supplement of that would, if not help, at least make your father feel a little better (the placebo effect mentionned above).
One problem with blood clotting in the mouth is that certain precursors to the final hard clot that forms are water soluble (they have to be, since they exist in your blood naturally), and there is a LOT of water in saliva, and likely the wet gauze is having an effect on that too. So if the clot precursors are being “washed” away, then the cofactors required to convert them to a real, non soluble clot can’t act on them as well, thus delaying the clotting.
IANADoctor or dentist - I have studied the blood clotting pathway briefly as part of my biochemistry degree, so take this with a grain of salt.
I might consider not drinking much, and perhaps using a less wet gauze to help clotting. And as I said, Vit K might help to encourage the blood clotting pathway.
Vitamin K is the blood clotting vitamin - perhaps a supplement of that would, if not help, at least make your father feel a little better (the placebo effect mentionned above).
One problem with blood clotting in the mouth is that certain precursors to the final hard clot that forms are water soluble (they have to be, since they exist in your blood naturally), and there is a LOT of water in saliva, and likely the wet gauze is having an effect on that too. So if the clot precursors are being “washed” away, then the cofactors required to convert them to a real, non soluble clot can’t act on them as well, thus delaying the clotting.
IANADoctor or dentist - I have studied the blood clotting pathway briefly as part of my biochemistry degree, so take this with a grain of salt.
I might consider not drinking much, and perhaps using a less wet gauze to help clotting. And as I said, Vit K might help to encourage the blood clotting pathway.
Vitamin K is the blood clotting vitamin - perhaps a supplement of that would, if not help, at least make your father feel a little better (the placebo effect mentionned above).
One problem with blood clotting in the mouth is that certain precursors to the final hard clot that forms are water soluble (they have to be, since they exist in your blood naturally), and there is a LOT of water in saliva, and likely the wet gauze is having an effect on that too. So if the clot precursors are being “washed” away, then the cofactors required to convert them to a real, non soluble clot can’t act on them as well, thus delaying the clotting.
IANADoctor or dentist - I have studied the blood clotting pathway briefly as part of my biochemistry degree, so take this with a grain of salt.
I might consider not drinking much, and perhaps using a less wet gauze to help clotting. And as I said, Vit K might help to encourage the blood clotting pathway.
ummmm…Ever put Iodine on a cut? Quite toxic if taken orally, but a nice antiseptic for cuts. Destroys the stomach lining IIRC, but doesn’t hurt skin or related tissue.
The plant I work in used to make that other one, I know I’m gonna spell it wrong, Mecuricrome, something like that, also toxic but good on cuts.
I also wouldn’t recommend chugging betadyne but surgeons seem to use it a lot.
Why, the Blood Clotting Industrial Association, of course. You may have seen some BCIA ads on television (“Clots, keeping the good stuff inside”) and their Washington lobby is very powerful.
IANAD. But, as I try to tell everyone, use your best judgement when you have any sort of medical issue.
Your father has just had FOUR teeth pulled. He will most definitely bleed. Probably a lot. Mix blood with saliva, (which there will already be lots of… thanks, at least, to the gauze being in his mouth) and it’s going to look like there’s even more blood in there, than there really is. If you think there’s still too much blood, even with all the saliva, and your dad’s still worried, then call the doc.
I wouldn’t recommend putting anything in the sockets that your dad’s dentist didn’t tell him to put there – which, I assume, was just gauze. EVEN WATER. Rinse when you are told to. That’s it. Your body knows what it’s doing. It will send all of the things necessary to take care of the healing business. Put anything in there, and you risk washing all of the good, clotting stuff away.
Any systemic drug would probably not be recommended, since it could lead to worse problems. There’s topical stuff like that liquid bandage, but I don’t know how well it would stick in the mouth. If the doctor didn’t recommend anything, probably best just to leave it alone.