Sir, the management of post-operative bleeding following dental extractions continues to be a familiar task for the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) out-of-hours on-call clinician.

The 'old tea-bag trick' refers to the practice of using a tea bag (or two) in replacement of gauze packs to deliver pressure and promote haemostasis to the extraction site. Tea bags contain astringent tannic acid which contributes to the contraction of damaged capillaries and accelerates clot formation.1 It has also been found that green tea extract-impregnated gauze reduced post-operative bleeding sockets and consequent oozing, attributed to the tannin content.2

The trick was recently advocated over the phone during an early hours on-call shift when a patient called complaining of post-operative bleeding. They had already used up all their gauze pressure packs and the next stage would usually be attendance to the Emergency Department (ED). The use of a tea bag successfully controlled their bleeding and consequently prevented the patient from attending the hospital and adding further pressure to the ED. This trick can complement our familiar local haemostatic measures, especially during the remote or out-of-hours management of bleeding sockets, due to its accessibility and low cost.