Dental Extraction

Damaged and infected teeth may require extraction in order to protect the overall health of your teeth and gums. Common reasons for extraction include crowded teeth, infected teeth, gum disease, or to remove teeth that are damaged beyond repair.

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

The removal of wisdom teeth is among the most common forms of dental extraction. Even if wisdom teeth are undamaged, they are often unnecessary and may cause crowding in the mouth. Wisdom teeth are often extracted during one’s teenage years or in young adulthood to prevent possible infection or crowding of teeth.

The Process

The area around the affected tooth is numbed using a local anesthetic. If extracting several teeth, general anesthesia may be used to put the patient to sleep during the procedure. If a tooth is firmly rooted, your dentist may have to cut the tooth into several pieces before extracting the tooth. After the tooth is extracted and the site thoroughly cleaned, a cotton gauze may be placed to stem the bleeding and stitches may be used to seal the wound. An implant, dental bridge, or denture may also be used to fill a resulting gap, sometimes immediately after the extraction, depending on the situation.

Recovery after a Dental Extraction

Most patients require only a few days to recover from dental extraction, however proper care is essential to avoid potentially serious problems that can arise after surgery.

Here are a few tips for at-home care after a dental extraction:

Eat only soft foods. Wait until the mouth has thoroughly healed before eating solid foods.

Change gauzes regularly

Rinse gently with warm salt water 24 hours after your surgery. Do so gently with only mildly warm water to avoid further irritating sensitive areas of the mouth

Use ibuprofen or other approved medicines to reduce pain and swelling. If using a prescription pain medication, take only as directed and no longer than necessary

Elevate the head and do not strain yourself. Do not lie flat, as this can increase bleeding

Avoid using straws and tobacco

Continue to care for teeth by brushing carefully

Swelling may also be reduced by applying cold compresses to the cheek

If you are suffering from an infected, damaged or irritable tooth or are in need of a wisdom tooth extraction, contact our office to schedule your next appointment with us today.