Why Tooth Extractions Are Performed
Ideally, your teeth would remain healthy throughout your lifetime. Unfortunately, routine wear, cavities, cracks, and other emergencies can put your teeth at risk.
At Whidbey Dental Associates, our dentists in Oak Harbor do everything we can to preserve your natural teeth. But sometimes, your tooth must be removed for the sake of your overall health. When a tooth becomes more harmful than helpful, extraction can save you from more pain.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction
While your wisdom teeth may seem to be healthy teeth, they can become impacted or grow incorrectly. These issues can cause greater problems in your overall oral health, so they’re often removed. If left in your mouth, they may lead to crowding, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Emergency Tooth Extractions
If your tooth has been damaged or severely infected, there may be no other option than removal. In the case of an accident or intense pain, call our office at (360) 675-6404 and we can offer our emergency dental care services.
Tooth Extraction Aftercare
After your tooth extraction, caring for your oral hygiene is of the utmost importance. If you don’t take care of your mouth properly after the procedure, you may develop some serious complications.
Always refer to the Post Operative Instructions given to you by our office. Generally, gauze for 20 minutes and Ice for 20 minutes on/20 minutes for an extended period.
For the initial 24 hours, you should rest and avoid rinsing, spitting, or using a straw. If you smoke, you should also avoid smoking on this first day.
Most people are able to return home for recovery and return to their daily routines the next day. You may experience some discomfort, but over-the-counter pain relievers often help.
Tooth Extraction Complications
Though some discomfort and swelling after tooth extraction are normal, the following complications may be cause for concern:
Infections
If your swelling or pain hasn’t reduced after a couple of days, it’s possible you’ve developed an infection. In this case, contact our office as soon as possible for treatment.
Dry Socket
Dry socket, or alveolitis, is a condition that can result from the blood clot in the socket being lost. This blood clot aids the socket in recovering from the extraction, preventing infections from getting into your body.
Using a straw, spitting, and rinsing your mouth are all ways that you can dislodge the socket. Smokers are also more likely to develop dry sockets.
Nerve Injury
Though unlikely, sometimes nerve injury can occur during extraction. If you feel a tingling sensation and numbness in your tongue, lips, chin, or gums, you may have nerve damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
On average, tooth extractions take between 20 and 40 minutes. The duration of a tooth extraction procedure will vary depending on a few factors, such as the type and location of the tooth, the complexity of the extraction, and the patient’s circumstances.
You can eat after your tooth extraction, but ensure the food you’re eating is soft and won’t cause damage to your surgical site. Soft foods like soup, pudding, yogurt, and applesauce are recommended for the first 24 hours.
Most people can return to their daily lives the day after their extraction. Sometimes wisdom teeth extractions can take longer to recover from.
You shouldn’t experience much pain during the procedure because you’ll be administered an anesthetic. Our office can also give you oral conscious sedation to help you relax. Sedation is always pre-discussed and pre-planned prior to the appointment.
You may feel some pain after your extraction, but this can be remedied with over-the-counter pain medication. If pain persists and you are concerned, call our office at (360) 675-6404.
The nerves of some of your teeth are connected, so you may feel discomfort in some of your other teeth for a short amount of time.