Tooth Extraction: Procedure, Healing, & Complications




If you are careful and lucky, you may keep your permanent teeth during your whole life. Permanent teeth are the second set of teeth that we develop –the first ones being the milk teeth. As the word states, they should be with us permanently; however, what happens when we don’t give them the proper care and attention? Or when we have an accident that results in severe dental trauma?

If any of the scenarios above has happened to you, you may need a tooth extraction near you.

What Is a Dental Extraction?


Tooth extraction is a procedure that involves in your dentist removing your tooth. Although it may sound painful, our dental office in Yaletown has the best specialists to perform this procedure. Even though your dentist will always try to save your tooth, sometimes, due to reasons we will list later on, the only option and the best one for you is to have the tooth extracted.

What Are the Reasons to Extract a Tooth?


Some of the reasons why your dentist will decide to pull out one or multiple teeth are the following:

  • Orthodontics– If you don’t have enough room for your teeth to fit correctly, your dentist may decide to perform a tooth extraction. This will help to align the remaining teeth with braces easily; also, it will lower the risk of infection.
  • Impacted wisdom teeth – Wisdom teeth removal in Yaletown is highly common since they usually don’t have enough space to erupt in the right position. On the contrary, they tend to become impacted and create room for bacteria. Also, since they are all the way back inside the mouth, it is harder to clean them, which increases the risk of tooth decay.
  • Tooth decay – If you have a cavity, your dentist will remove the damage and restore a portion of your tooth; however, when the damage is too severe, the only option may be to extract the tooth.
  • Patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy – Some of these patients tend to develop tooth infections; therefore, the specialist may decide that the best treatment is tooth extraction.

What to Expect From a Tooth Extraction


So you went to the dentist because of a damaged tooth, and he/she told you that the best treatment is to extract it. What can you expect?
We advise you not to stress because it is not the end of the world. The right dental clinic near you will have a skilled dentist that will ensure the area is numbed, so you don’t feel any pain during the procedure. Besides the local anesthetic, you may also opt for dental sedation if your anxiety is too high. 

There are two types of dental extractions. Let’s review both.

  • Simple extraction –The damaged tooth is visible in the mouth. As the name suggests, it is a simple procedure, and general dentists can perform it.

  • Surgical extraction – In this case, the tooth is under the gumline, and a surgeon should extract the tooth.

What to Expect After the Procedure


The most important thing after the tooth extraction is to follow your dentist’s instructions. Some of them will include:

  • Soft diet – During the first 48 hours, stick to liquids and soft foods.
           ·     Oral care routine – During the first 24 hours, avoid brushing the teeth next to the gap but continue to clean the rest.

What Are the Possible Complications?


The usual is not undergoing any complications; however, here are some of the issues that can occur after tooth extraction:

  • Dry socket – It is a condition in which the alveolar bone gets inflamed. If left untreated, it can lead to infection.                                                                                                                                
  • Numbness – If your dentist damaged the trigeminal nerve by accident, you may experience a tingling sensation in your lip, chin, tongue, and gum.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Root Canal vs. Tooth Extraction, And Other Myths

How Does Chocolate Affect Your Teeth?

How to Keep Invisalign Invisible