You and one of our Doctors may determine that you need a tooth extraction for any number of reasons. Some teeth are extracted because they are severely decayed. Others may have advanced periodontal disease or are broken in a way that cannot be repaired. Other teeth may need removal because they are poorly positioned in your mouth (such as impacted teeth) or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.
The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems related to your chewing ability, problems with your jaw joint, and shifting teeth, which can have a major impact on your dental health.
To avoid these complications, one of our Doctors will discuss alternatives to extractions as well replacement of the extracted tooth.
At the time of extraction, one of our Doctors will need to numb your tooth, jawbone, and gums that surround the area with a local anesthetic.
During the extraction process, you will feel a lot of pressure. This is from the process of firmly rocking your tooth in order to widen the socket for removal.
You'll feel the pressure without pain as the anesthetic has numbed the nerves stopping the transference of pain, yet the nerves that transmit pressure are not profoundly affected.
If you do feel pain at any time during the extraction, please let us know right away.
Some teeth require sectioning. This is a very common procedure done when your tooth is so firmly anchored in its socket or the root is curved and the socket can't expand enough to remove it. The Doctor simply cuts your tooth into sections then removes each section one at a time. This ensures much less trauma on your tooth and a faster healing time.
Some bleeding may occur. Placing a piece of moist gauze over the empty tooth socket and biting down firmly for 30 minutes can control this.
This is an important part of the healing process and you must be careful not to dislodge the clot.
If swelling occurs, you can place ice on your face for 10 minutes and off for 20 minutes. Repeat this cycle as you feel necessary for up to 24 hours.
If you experience pain, you might use non-prescription pain relief medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
For most extractions, make sure you do your chewing away from the extraction site. Stay away from hot liquids and alcoholic beverages for 24 hours. A liquid diet may be recommended for 24 hours.
After the extraction, avoid brushing your teeth near the extraction site for one day. After that you can resume gentle cleaning. Avoid commercial mouth rinses, as they tend to irritate the extraction site.
Beginning 24 hours after the extraction, you can rinse with salt water (one teaspoon salt in a cup of warm water) after meals and before bed.
Dry socket is when a blood clot fails to form in the socket where your tooth has been extracted or the clot has been dislodged and the healing is significantly delayed.
Following the postoperative extraction instructions will reduce the chances of developing dry socket. Dry sockets manifest themselves as a dull throbbing pain that usually doesn't appear until three to four days after the extraction. The pain can be moderate to severe and radiate from the extraction area. Dry socket may cause a bad taste or bad breath and the extraction site appears dry.
One of our Doctors will apply a medicated dressing to the dry socket to soothe the pain.
After your tooth has been extracted, there will be a hole in your jawbone where your tooth was. In time, this will smooth and fill in with bone. This process can take many weeks or months. However, after 1- 2 weeks, you should no longer notice any inconvenience.
Replacing Teeth With: