Everything You Need to Know About Tooth Extractions
Tooth extraction can seem nerve-wracking and a little daunting. But do you know that tooth extraction is a standard dental procedure? This guide outlines everything you need to know about tooth extraction.
Tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in your bone. Some people refer to it as pulling teeth.
When is Tooth Extraction Necessary?
In many cases, one can repair the teeth damaged by decay or broken with a crown, filling, or other dental treatment. However, sometimes the damage is too bad to repair, so your dentist might recommend an extraction.
Here are some other reasons that one might need a tooth extraction near you:
- Injury or trauma
- Infection that has gotten deep into the tooth or decay
- Baby teeth that don’t fall out in time for the permanent teeth to come in
- There is insufficient room in your mouth to accommodate all the teeth
- Wisdom teeth are often extracted after or before they come in
- Orthodontic treatment might sometimes require tooth extraction for room creation as they move into place
Preparation
Before tooth removal, your dentist in Carrollwood reviews your medical and dental history thoroughly and takes appropriate X-rays. X-rays show the tooth’s shape, length, position, and surrounding bone. From the X-ray information, your dentist determines the best way to remove your tooth or whether they’ll refer you to an oral surgeon.
Before the dentist removes your tooth during a simple extraction, they’ll numb the area around the tooth using a local anesthetic. However, the oral surgeon might use intravenous (IV) anesthesia during surgical extraction, which ranges from conscious sedation to general anesthesia, which puts you to sleep. If this’s the case, ensure you have someone to take you home after extraction and stay with you until the effects wear off.
Tooth Extraction Process
You might have these two types of tooth extractions in Tampa:
The first one is a simple extraction. This is where your dentist removes a tooth visible in your mouth. General dentists commonly perform a simple extraction. During a simple extraction, Dr. Payal Arora numbs the area surrounding the tooth and gum tissue and loosens the tooth with an elevator instrument before they remove it with dental forceps.
The second one is surgical extraction which is a more complex procedure. It’s used for a tooth that may have broken off at the gum line or has not come into the mouth yet. Oral surgeons perform surgical extractions mostly, but general dentists can perform them. Your surgeon makes a small incision into your gum during a surgical extraction and removes the underlying tooth.
After the Extraction
Ensure you keep the extraction area clean after the extraction to prevent infection. Immediately following the procedure, our dentist in Tampa will ask you to bite gently on a piece of sterile gauze that is dry, which you should keep in place for up to 30-45 minutes for bleeding limitation while encouraging clotting.
The dentist provides you with detailed aftercare instructions. You shouldn’t rinse your mouth vigorously, smoke, or clean the teeth next to the extraction site during the first 24 hours after tooth extraction.
Is Tooth Extraction Painful?
Yes. Getting your tooth extracted can hurt. You’ll experience a mild degree of pain and discomfort following an extraction. Your dentist might recommend a pain killer or prescribe one for you. It also helps when applying an ice pack to your cheek to reduce swelling.
After the extraction, you should limit strenuous activity, avoid hot liquids, and not drink through a straw. The discomfort and pain should lessen within three days to two weeks. However, call our dentist at Carrollwood Dental Studio immediately if the pain prolongs.
Can I Drive After a Tooth Extraction?
During a simple tooth extraction, local anesthesia administered to you is entirely safe for driving afterward. However, when getting surgical extraction, you should have someone, maybe a close friend or a relative, drive you home.
The Time It Takes Tooth Extraction?
After tooth extraction, it takes between 1-3 months to heal the bone and gum tissues. However, the pain starts subsiding within one to five days after extraction in most people. After that period, they can get back on their feet and continue their everyday activities.