Tooth Extraction Importance, Types & Procedure Explained
Do you have anxiety over a dental extraction procedure? Tooth removal aids in maintaining your oral health. Severely decayed teeth, impacted wisdom teeth, or infected or crowded teeth may require an extraction procedure. If your dentist in Huntington, NY, recommends you to have dental braces, some of your teeth may be extracted to provide room for dental prosthetics. An organ transplant may compel your dentist to remove your tooth which may compromise your health.
Your Huntington dentist administers anesthesia before a dental extraction to relieve your anxiety and alleviate pain during the highly invasive procedure. Visible and loose teeth require a simple procedure but impacted and painful teeth may require an extensive surgical procedure.
Why a Dental Extraction Procedure is Performed?
Your oral surgeon may extract your teeth due to various reasons, including:
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- Severely decayed teeth
- Periodontal infections
- Severely damaged a tooth beyond repair due to traumatic injuries
- Dental abscess
- Preparation for a dental prosthesis
- Crowded teeth
- Falling primary teeth for your child
Types of Tooth Extraction Procedure and Which one is Ideal for You?
A simple or surgical extraction may be performed depending on whether your tooth is impacted or visible. During a Surgical extraction, local and intravenous anesthesia may be administered to keep you relaxed. Our Huntington dentist may use general anesthesia based on your medical history. Your specialist will cut your gum and make an incision. The bone around your impacted tooth may be removed before the extraction process.
A simple extraction procedure involves using local anesthesia to numb the area around your tooth, to alleviate pain during tooth removal. A specialized tool is used to loosen your tooth, and forceps are used to pull out the tooth.
Dental Extraction Procedure
During your appointment, our dentist in Huntington, NY, takes an X-ray of your affected tooth to evaluate the tooth’s root. Local anesthesia is administered to numb the tissues surrounding the tooth that’s to be extracted, and your tooth may be removed in portions. If your tooth is beneath your gum line, gum tissues or bone obstructing the tooth may be removed. You are likely to experience cracking of your bone or grinding of teeth.
After tooth removal, stitches, and additional procedures to control your bleeding are performed. The stitches dissolve within a week, and you don’t need to make a dental visit for their removal. Our dentist in Huntington may place thick gauze over your extraction site to absorb blood and enhance clotting. The healing process takes effect immediately after the completion of the procedure.
Recommended Tips to Ensure Proper Healing and Recovery
At Smile Huntington, we recommend you to follow the measures below in enhancing quick recovery after dental extraction:
- Eat soft foods since hard foods may hurt the surgical site.
- Keep your toothbrush away from the healing site while brushing your teeth. You can soften your toothbrush with hot water before you clean your mouth.
- Avoid taking alcohol and smoking, which may weaken the healing process.
- Bite down on gauze to ensure blood clotting in case your surgical site is bleeding
- Rinse your mouth with salty water after 24 hours. Rinsing your mouth earlier may lead to bleeding.
It’s important to brush your teeth carefully after your surgery to ensure no food debris is trapped at the extraction site. You need to consult your dental hygienist on the ideal ways to clean your teeth without dislodging the newly formed blood clot on your tooth socket.
When to Call Your Dental Specialist
You are likely to experience discomfort as your anesthesia wears off, but the pain fades away gradually. The extraction site may swell and bleed. However, if your bleeding is severe, it’s ideal to seek immediate medical treatment. You also need to call our dentist in Huntington, NY, if you experience the following:
- Chest pains. Shortness of breath and severe nausea
- Excessive discharge of residual matter from the surgical site, swelling, and redness
- Signs of infection including high fever
Healing takes about two weeks, and new gum tissue and bone develop into the left gap. Missing a tooth may cause the adjacent teeth to shift towards the left gap, which leads to biting complications. It’s essential to consult your specialist on the ideal restorative dental procedures for your missing teeth. Dental implants, dentures, braces, or a fixed dental bridge may be ideal for replacing your missing teeth. It would be best to undergo a dental extraction procedure if you have painful impacted wisdom teeth, or severely decayed or infected teeth.
If You feel that you are the right candidate for a tooth extraction procedure, call us now to schedule a consultation with our dentist near you at Smile Huntington. We also offer services to the patients living in Huntington Station, Cold Spring Harbor, Greenlawn, and nearby communities.