Tooth Extractions: Everything You Need to Know

What Is Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extraction is a dental procedure that involves the removal of a damaged tooth or teeth. The procedure is often considered when a patient’s tooth cannot be saved. You mustn’t forego tooth extraction after your dentist in 19010 recommends it since it could have severe implications, such as an infection spreading to healthy, adjacent teeth.

Why Undergo Tooth Removal

Several factors may force you to undergo tooth removal. Examples include:

• Overcrowding of Teeth: some patients may suffer from a condition that causes extra teeth to grow. Due to lack of sufficient space in the mouth to accommodate the extra teeth, teeth may overlap, become crooked and cause dental pain and discomfort. When that’s the case, tooth removal may be recommended to remove the extra teeth and improve dental health.
• Replace a Damaged Tooth: not all damaged teeth are restorable. For example, cavities can spread and damage tooth structures, causing the tooth to weaken to the point where dental fillings are not effective. You can also suffer from dental injuries due to an accident and not wearing a mouth guard or other protective equipment.
• Impacted tooth: some patients experience problems when growing wisdom teeth. An impacted tooth is a tooth that has failed to fully develop, thus posing a problem to the patient’s oral health. The tooth starts growing but stops before penetrating the gum tissue. As a result, the patient experiences dental pain and discomfort, making it difficult to chew. In such cases, our dentist will have to remove the tooth surgically with the help of an x-ray to locate the tooth.
• Stop the Spread of Infection: early treatment for tooth infection is vital for stopping the spread of the disease. Your Bryn Mawr dentist will recommend removing the infected tooth, so the disease does not spread to adjacent teeth.
• Create Room for Dental Prostheses: some dental devices require some form of preparation before treatment can be administered. In these preparations, several teeth may have to be removed to create room for the dental appliances.

How Is Tooth Extraction Done?

There are two types of tooth extractions; simple and surgical tooth extraction.

• Simple Tooth Extraction

A Simple tooth extraction is performed when the patient’s damaged teeth are fully visible. Our dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area, so the patient doesn’t experience pain during treatment. Unlike surgical tooth removal, this procedure does not need any cuts to be made on the gum. Instead, we will use dental instruments to hold the tooth, loosen it and remove it from its socket. The procedure is done quickly and can be completed in a single visit to our dental office.

• Surgical Tooth Extraction

Surgical tooth extraction is a more intrusive method of tooth extraction and is meant for wisdom tooth removal. The tooth removal procedure involves surgery, but patients don’t experience pain during treatment. Just like simple tooth extraction, our dentist will begin by injecting the patient with an anesthetic to numb the area. Using a surgical knife, your dentist will proceed to make a small cut on the gums surrounding the impacted tooth. If intact, the impacted tooth will be pulled out easily; if not, we will have to find and remove the Tooth fragments bit by bit. Once done, our dentist will clean the wound and seal it, so it doesn’t get infected.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From Teeth Extractions?

Every patient is different, and so are their healing capabilities. That being said, the average time it takes to heal after tooth removal may range anywhere between one and three months. Patients who underwent simple tooth extraction usually heal faster than those who’ve undergone surgical tooth removal. Our dentist will prescribe medicine to take during recovery to reduce dental pain. The good news is the dental pain will go away even before your wound is done healing. Many of the dental pain will subside during the first week of recovery, meaning you can return to your regular work routine. We recommend going for routine dental checkups to check if the wound is healing correctly.

Conclusion

Tooth extraction is a simple dental procedure aimed at alleviating dental pain and preventing future dental problems. The treatment has minimal side effects and a high success rate, so patients don’t need to worry about complications post-treatment. Visit The Dental Spa – Main Line today for the tooth extraction treatment in Bryn Mawr.