You shouldn't use toilet paper as a gauze substitute for wisdom teeth because there is a more effective alternative that is readily available, paper towels. However, our professional advice is to just buy some gauze at the pharmacy if you want to do it the proper way.
Cons of using toilet paper as gauze for wisdom teeth
You don't want to use gauze for wisdom teeth because it dissolves easily and it's not the most sanitary to place it in your mouth.
Toilet paper dissolves easily: A major con for using toilet paper over an extraction socket is that it dissolves easily because it was designed to disintegrate when wet.
Gauze is used for biting pressure to stop wisdom teeth bleeding because it can maintain its structural integrity without dissolving even in the presence of blood.
Toilet paper was designed to disintegrate when wet so that it doesn't clog up your drains at home. Unfortunately, if it dissolves while you're biting down on it, it'll stop applying pressure to the wound. The consequence would be continued bleeding.
The two reasons above make this paper product a poor choice as a medium for achieving hemostasis over an extraction site in your mouth.
Toilet paper isn't sanitary: Toilet paper that is often stored close by to the toilet itself is not the most sanitary and definitely not sterile. This means if you place it in your mouth over the wisdom tooth socket, you could potentially introduce an infection.
Unbeknownst to most, when you flush the toilet, a lot of backsplash occurs which can contaminate your toilet paper. Yes, it is a small amount and normally it would not cause an infection when wiping your rear but the same can't be said about an open wound.
If you don't believe us, just watch this video below which shows water droplets from the toilet spreading after it has been flushed. It travels quite far!
Do you really think it is a good idea to place toilet paper over an open wound? We don't think so.
Paper towels are a better gauze substitute
Paper towels is a better at home alternative to using toilet paper for stopping wisdom teeth bleeding after removal. The two reasons are that it doesn't dissolve as easily and it's also more sanitary.
Paper towels don't dissolve as much: This paper product was designed to pick up and absorb water without disintegrating. This trait makes it a better medium for applying pressure over the wisdom tooth socket to stop the bleeding vs toilet paper.
It is due to its more difficult to dissolve property that you should not flush paper towels down the toilet. It has a high chance of clogging resulting in you paying for a plumber.
In case you forgot, you can refresh your memory with all of those Bounty paper towel commercials which show how absorbent it is without falling apart!
Paper towels are more sanitary: Relatively speaking, paper towels are more sanitary that toilet paper because it's not stored next to the toilet. Most households will store it in the kitchen, which is relatively cleaner.
In case you were wondering how to use this if you happen to run out of gauze... it's the same exact way! Just make sure that you slightly wet it before placing it in your mouth.
When in doubt just buy gauze
If you really run out of gauze and your wisdom tooth hole is still bleeding, the best thing to do is to purchase some more gauze at your local pharmacy.
Pharmacies do sell gauze: It seems that most people are unaware of the fact that gauze is readily available at just about any pharmacy that you can think of. You may not know of it because you just never looked for it! It's a basic essential first aid supply. As a matter of fact, there is probably some in your first aid kit if you have one at home.
Why gauze is the best: At best, all gauze substitutes are considered a distant second.
Sterile. Gauze is typically individually packed and sterile which means it won't introduce bacteria into your gaping third molar extraction socket. Even if it's not the sterile kind, it hasn't been sitting in the open air like your paper towel in the kitchen or toilet paper next to the toilet! In other words, it is still cleaner than the alternatives you have at home.
Non-dissolving. It is made to not dissolve in the presence of fluids. That means it won't disintegrate from the blood oozing from the surgical site. The same cannot be said about toilet paper which is designed to dissolve so that it does not clog the toilet or its drain pipes.
It is due to these two reason that all dentists, including ours at our Long Island City practice give gauze after an extraction! Therefore our professional recommendation is to avoid using toilet paper and just buy some gauze instead.
However, if you're in a pickle and can't get access to gauze, the next best substitute would be paper towels. But at the end of the day, if you swing by your dentist's office who did the extraction, they 'd be more than happy to provide you with additional gauze.
