What Is a Dental Extraction and What Should You Expect? A Guide
Need to get a dental extraction because of oral pain?
Maintaining good oral health should be part of anyone’s health regime. Unfortunately, people often overlook the importance of dental hygiene until it’s too late. If you’re looking to get a dental extraction, you may have a damaged tooth.
Getting your teeth pulled can be scary. It’s one of the things that contributes to people’s fear of dentists. The great thing is that dental extraction isn’t very scary or complicated to explain.
The question then is, ‘what is a dental extraction?’ This complete guide will tell you what you need to know.
Table of Contents
Why Would You Need a Dental Extraction?
While it may sound intimidating, a dental extraction isn’t as terrible as you think it is. With a better understanding of dentistry, things have progressed tenfold. Gone are the days of medieval, hack job practices.
Many of which have caused one too many patients the fear of getting a tooth pulled out. Many patients ask if there are any other alternatives or if the procedure is a must. The answer of which only lies with your dentist’s assessment.
Tooth extractions are primarily done because of heavy damage and decay on your teeth. This is especially true if you have an infection that goes all the way down to the nerves. Though a root canal might still be an option, pulling the tooth out might be the only way to go.
This is to prevent the spread of the infection further. Sometimes, overcrowding is another reason. If your teeth are too big for your mouth, or some of them cannot grow out of the gum, you may need to pull them out.
The same goes for gum disease since it can cause teeth to be too loose for your dentist to salvage. Wisdom tooth extraction is also a type of dental extraction. However, it can be a bit more complicated than pulling a tooth out.
Dental Extraction 101
Now that you know why you need one, you might start asking ‘what is a dental extraction?’ Tooth removal can both be a simple or a complex process. It all depends on why you’re getting the tooth (or teeth) removed.
Some of the most common extractions are to prepare you for other procedures like braces. Sometimes your local oral surgeon will pull teeth to save others. Other times the plan may be to go for a full rebuild with new teeth.
Grinding your teeth to nubs and rebuilding the teeth is a great option for some cases. However, this is only preferable when the gums and roots are healthy. Otherwise, you’ll have to take everything out.
Often, a dental extraction is your last resort when a tooth has severe damage. A dental removal will always be unique to each patient. Your oral surgeon or practitioner needs to do a careful evaluation for best results.
In almost all cases, though, you can rest assured that numbing or sedation are options. Your dentist will then give you a rundown on how he plans to do things. Pulling one tooth at a time while making sure you’re at ease is how it usually plays out.
Your dental practitioner won’t pull a tooth out without proper warning or if you’re in pain.
The Process and What to Expect
Before anything else, it’s always essential to get and understand your dentist’s diagnosis. Every dental procedure starts with this, so you know what the problems are and your options to proceed.
Assuming tooth extraction is part of the process, and you agree, you’ll need to book your appointment(s).
Discussing allergies or anesthesia preferences is also important. Rest assured that your dentist will never pull your teeth raw. They should also give you plenty of options even if you say you don’t want any.
For teeth that haven’t erupted, you’ll end up needing more work done. This involves disrupting your gums and bones – which is common with wisdom teeth removal. With skilled orthodontists, you’ll be in the right hands.
They’ll have all the proper equipment and will use the most efficient methods. Mitigating both your discomfort and pain is the top priority. That said, with more complex procedures, you may have to deal with stitches and wound care.
They’ll also often give you sterile gauze to bite down on to stop any bleeding. Along with this are strict instructions for aftercare. These include getting enough rest and taking your medication, if any.
They usually prescribe antibiotics or some pain meds. Monitoring you to ensure no lasting effects from the anesthesia is also standard. Depending on why you’re pulling your teeth, you may need to book several appointments.
Recovery and Aftercare
After a procedure, your mouth will feel numb and become sore and painful once the anesthetics wear off. Chewing may prove difficult, so take it slow and try to eat softer foods for a while. Your dentist will work with you to make sure you have time to heal and recover between sessions.
They will check to make sure no side effects or new issues are arising from the previous extractions. Expect to visit them or have a follow-up, depending on your procedure’s severity. You also have to consider how slow or quick you recover.
During this time, you’ll likely be on antibiotics. Keep taking the antibiotics until you finish the course to prevent infections. Make sure to follow all your dentist’s advice and prescriptions to avoid major complications.
Gargling with salt is a great home remedy. Putting constant pressure on the area by biting on it is key to faster healing. While on recovery, be careful of physical activity.
Too much stress or strain can open your stitches or even lead to bleeding. If you can limit or stop smoking until you’re healed would also be ideal. Don’t neglect dental care and hygiene either – brush your teeth but be careful.
If you experience facial or cheek swelling, don’t worry – it should be temporary. If you take your dentist’s advice and follow it to the T, you’re sure to recover within a few days.
What Is a Dental Extraction Exactly?
Those asking ‘what is a dental extraction?’ don’t need to worry. The decision to pull your teeth will always involve your consent and the work of experienced dentists.
Find out additional info on this topic and more by exploring our site.