Unless they have needed to undergo a general anaesthetic, many people assume that they will be fine to walk home after having one of their teeth extracted. However, this is generally inadvisable, and here are just four important reasons why.

1. Exposure to the Elements

After you've had one of your teeth pulled, your dentist or oral surgeon will almost certainly tell you not to have any hot or cold drinks. This is partly because your mouth will be more sensitive to extreme temperatures right after having a tooth drawn. If you decide to walk home when it is quite cold outside, you'll be filling your mouth with cold air and subjecting your body to low temperatures, so pain and sensitivity can flare up.

2. Force from Each Step

Adults are generally so used to walking that they don't notice the fact that walking is not smooth and seamless. The force felt at each footfall isn't something that you'll normally even notice, but it can create pain when you've just had one of your teeth pulled. Over the hundreds or thousands of footsteps it could take to get you home, that pain can swiftly reach fever pitch.

3. Raising the Pulse Rate

A little bit of bleeding is common after a tooth has been pulled; in fact, bleeding is necessary in order for a proper clot to form and proper healing to take place. That said, excessive bleeding can be a problem since it means that the wound isn't given a chance to close up, and this is more likely to occur when you raise your pulse rate. You'll typically be warned not to engage in any vigorous exercise for a few days for this very reason, but the fact that you'll be particularly at risk right after surgery means that even the slight rise in blood pressure that comes through walking rather than sitting could be cause for concern.

4. Disorientation from Procedure

Obviously having a general anaesthetic will mean that you won't be able to walk home, but it's still possible to feel disorientated after having a local anaesthetic and being given painkillers. Additionally, the operation itself can be quite stressful and see your body subjected to a range of hormonal changes, which can also do their part to leave you feeling disorientated. You might feel as if you have all your wits about you while you're still in the dental office or surgery, but it can be a different story once you step out into the real world and have to deal with crossing roads busy with traffic.