Tooth Extractions: Types and After-Care

Tooth extraction or removing a tooth is a relatively standard procedure for adults with fully developed permanent teeth. However, the reasons for extracting a tooth vary from a tooth infection, gum disease, damage from injuries, and crowding. Whatever the reason, if your dentist recommends removing a tooth from your mouth, consider the suggestion better for your dental and oral health.

How Are Tooth Extractions Performed?

If you must have a tooth or two extracted, the better option is to select a dentist nearby performing tooth extraction near you to ensure you have a dental professional for advice before you schedule your procedure with them.

Tooth extractions are not complicated or painful procedures because the dentist injects local anesthesia in your mouth to prevent you from experiencing pain, although you remain aware of your surroundings. Unfortunately, if you have multiple teeth extracted, the dentist will provide you with sedation or intravenous anesthesia. Both sedative options will make you sleep during the tooth removal.

If you need a visible tooth removed, the dentist uses elevators to loosen the tooth before removing it from the socket with forceps.

Tooth Extraction Types

When removing a tooth or teeth, the options are limited because dentists use two primary techniques to extract teeth from the mouth.

Visible teeth affected by tooth decay, injuries, or gum disease generally require simple extractions, which the dentist in Northlake, IL, completes within 30 minutes after giving you local anesthesia around the affected tooth to numb pain impulses. The dentist will remove the tooth by loosening it with elevators before removing it with forceps.

If you need an impacted molar removed, you will require surgical extraction because the tooth is hidden beneath your gums. In such cases, the dentist must make incisions in your gums to cut away gum and bone tissue blocking the tooth. After that, the dentist uses forceps to rock the tooth back and forth until it breaks. If the tooth is challenging to remove, the dentist splits it into pieces for comfortable removal. Complicated surgical extractions are generally performed under general anesthesia.

A blood clot forms in the tooth socket after removing it. The dentist will pack the surgical site with gauze to prevent bleeding. You may also require sutures in the surgical site in some cases.

After-Care Following Tooth Extraction

The after-care following tooth extractions differ according to the procedure type and the tooth’s location. However, you can expect to recover from the process in about seven to ten days. You must exercise care to ensure the blood clot remains in the socket to prevent the occurrence of a dry socket. This painful condition requires additional treatments after tooth extraction in Northlake, IL.

Here are a few steps you must follow to speed up your healing time.

The Northlake dentist prescribes or suggests over-the-counter painkillers to alleviate pain from the extraction, which you start experiencing four to six hours after tooth removal. You must take the painkillers as indicated by the dentist.

• Leave the gauze pad on the tooth removal site for three to four hours after the process.
• Use an ice pack over the affected area soon after the tooth removal. However, do not apply ice packs over your cheeks for over 15 minutes at a time because it can result in tissue damage.
• Get rest for 24 hours following the extraction by limiting activity.
• Do not use straws for drinking, spitting vigorously, or rinsing for 24 hours after tooth removal for fear of dislodging the blood clot.
• After 24 hours, use a saltwater rinse clean your mouth without considering mouthwash brands because they contain alcohol.
• It would help if you avoided habits like smoking and consuming alcohol after getting a tooth extracted.
• Use extra pillows to elevate your head when lying down because lying flat can delay healing.
• Continue brushing and flossing your teeth to prevent infection but remain gentle near the extraction site.

Foods You Can Have After Tooth Removal

During your recovery, you can help yourself by having soft foods like soups, pudding, applesauce, and yogurt or smoothies by using a spoon to eat them. You can incorporate solid foods into your diet as you heal. The dentists recommend using soft foods for about a week after tooth removal.

After a healing period of about two weeks, you can return to your regular diet as new bone, and gum tissue starts forming over the extraction site. You can also visit your dentist to discuss replacement options if required to prevent your remaining teeth from drifting. However, if you had an impacted molar removed, you will not require a replacement and can continue living without it.

Tooth removal procedures are relatively straightforward and performed by Smiles of Northlake on many patients for the reasons mentioned earlier. If you must have a tooth or two extracted, kindly consult them for the process today.