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.
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