Tooth Extraction: Procedure, Pain, and After-Care

Tooth extractions near you become necessary for various reasons, including severe damage or decay. Tooth removal, a standard dental procedure, can help eliminate infections in your mouth to improve your oral and overall health.

Dentists, in general, do not prefer recommending tooth extractions. Unfortunately, they are compelled to do so if they cannot save your tooth using restorative techniques like dental fillings or crowns. The dentist in Stockton recommends tooth removal if you have severe tooth decay, a fractured tooth, an impacted tooth, crowding, severe periodontal disease or other dental injuries. It helps if you remember the dentist recommends tooth removal as a last resort after exhausting all other techniques to preserve teeth.

Dentists or dental specialists like oral surgeons and periodontists perform tooth removal procedures. General dentists perform the most extractions unless they notice a complicated situation when they refer you to an oral surgeon or a periodontist.

The Tooth Extraction Procedure

The tooth extraction procedure is pretty straightforward because the dentist assesses the tooth and surrounding gums. They also take dental x-rays to evaluate the health of your jawbone and the extent of the damage to the tooth. During the assessment, provide your dentist with a list of medications you take, including vitamins and supplements.

After evaluating your tooth, the dentist discusses anesthesia options to reduce discomfort during the removal and make the procedure pain-free. Some dentists offer sedation if you have severe dental anxiety and want to remain oblivious to your treatment during the procedure.

On the day of your appointment, the tooth removal procedure goes ahead as planned by receiving anesthesia in your mouth or sedation if you are undergoing an intensive process. Whether you are receiving local anesthesia or sedation, you will likely not experience any pain from the shots injected in your mouth because dentists numb the area with a topical gel.

If you have a visible tooth removed, you receive local anesthesia near your tooth. After your mouth is numb, the dentist loosens the tooth with special dental instruments and lifts it carefully from its socket.

If you have received sedation for removing an impacted tooth, you shall receive local anesthesia in your mouth to block pain impulses from the affected tooth. The professional must make incisions in your gums to expose bone around the tooth for removal, cut the tooth in pieces, and extract it from the socket. After completing tooth removal, the dentist cleans and disinfects the socket and inserts sutures if required.

Tooth extraction Stockton CA place a gauze pad over the extraction site asking you to bite down with steady pressure. The gauze pad helps with blood clot formation to promote and reduce the risk of dry socket. However, you can remove the gauze pad after your bleeding has slowed.

Tooth Extraction Complications

Tooth extractions have a small risk of complications similar to any surgical procedure. For example, you may experience postsurgical infection, dry socket, nerve injury, delayed healing, and maxillary sinus perforation. However, if the removal was recommended by your dentist benefits of the extraction outweigh any risks of complications.

Pain after Tooth Extraction

When you go through the tooth removal procedure painlessly, expect to experience some discomfort after the numbing medication starts to wear off. You will experience pain from the extraction site for a couple of days. However, dentists also understand this phenomenon and recommend taking prescription or over-the-counter pain relievers to help you with the discomfort.

After-Care After Tooth Removal

The after-care instructions you receive from your dentist may vary depending on the type of extraction and the location of the tooth you had extracted. You can expect to heal in approximately seven to ten days, while your jawbone requires several weeks to heal completely. You must make all efforts to ensure you keep the blood clot in place in the tooth socket. Dislodging the blood clot causes a dry socket, a painful condition.

You can use the following tips to speed your healing time:

• Use ice packs over your cheeks for 10-minute intervals starting immediately after the procedure.
• Take any painkillers prescribed as recommended.
• Do not get into strenuous activities like lifting weights or operating machinery for at least 24 hours.
• Avoid smoking, rinsing your mouth, using a straw for drinking and spitting vigorously during the 24 hours after tooth removal.
• Brush and floss your teeth as usual by avoiding the extraction site.

After you heal from tooth extraction, you can revisit the Stockton dentist to discuss replacing the missing tooth with dentures, fixed bridges, or dental implants near me.

If you have problems with one of several teeth and believe you may need extractions, please visit Lakefront Smiles to have the procedure and get replacements for your missing teeth.