Tooth Extractions

You and your doctor may determine that you need a tooth extraction for any number of reasons. Some teeth are extracted because they are severely decayed; others may have advanced periodontal disease, or have broken in a way that cannot be repaired. Other teeth may need removal because they are poorly positioned in the mouth (such as impacted teeth), or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.

The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems related to your chewing ability, problems with your jaw joint, and shifting teeth, which can have a major impact on your dental health. In order to preserve the natural shape of your jaw after an extraction, ridge preservation procedures, called bone grafts, are recommended.

To avoid these complications, in most cases, your dentist will discuss alternatives to extractions as well as replacement of the extracted tooth with an implant or a bridge.

The Extraction Process

At the time of extraction your doctor will need to numb your tooth, jawbone and gums that surround the area with a local anesthetic.

During the extraction process you will feel a lot of pressure. This is from the process of firmly rocking the tooth in order to widen the socket for removal.

You feel the pressure without pain as the anesthetic has numbed the nerves stopping the transference of pain, yet the nerves that transmit pressure are not profoundly affected.

If you do feel pain at any time during the extraction please let us know right away.

After Care

Bleeding

Some bleeding may occur. Placing a piece of moist gauze over the empty tooth socket and biting down firmly for 45 minutes can control this.

Blood clots that form in the empty socket. This is an important part of the healing process and you must be careful not to dislodge the clot.

• Avoid rinsing or spitting for 24 hours after the extraction.
• Avoid use of a straw, smoking carbonated or hot liquids.

Swelling

If swelling occurs you can place ice on your face for 20 minutes and off for 20 minutes. Repeat this cycle as you feel necessary for up to 24 hours.

Pain and Medications

If you experience pain you might use nonprescription pain relief medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Eating

For most extractions just make sure you do your chewing away from the extraction site. Stay away from hot liquids and alcoholic beverages for 24 hours. A liquid diet may be recommended for 24 hours.

Brushing and Cleaning

After the extraction avoid brushing the teeth near the extraction site for one day. After that you can resume gentle cleaning. Avoid commercial mouth rinses, as they tend to irritate the site. Beginning 24 hours after the extraction you can rinse with salt water (1/2 teaspoon in a cup of water) after meals and before bed.

Dry Socket

Dry socket is when a blood clot fails to form in the socket where the tooth has been extracted or the clot has been dislodged and the healing is significantly delayed.

Following the post extraction instructions will reduce the chances of developing dry socket. Dry sockets manifest themselves as a dull throbbing pain, which doesn't appear until three to four days after the extraction. The pain can be moderate to severe and radiate from the extraction area. Dry socket may cause a bad taste or bad breath and the extraction site appears dry.

Your dentist will apply a medicated dressing to the dry socket to soothe the pain.

Healing

After a tooth has been extracted there will be a resulting hole in your jawbone where the tooth was. In time, this will smooth and fill in with bone. This process can take many weeks or months. However after 1- 2 weeks you should no longer notice any inconvenience. Socket preservation (bone grafts) is indicated to preserve the bone in the extraction site.

Replacing teeth with:
Dental Implants
Bridges

WISDOM TOOTH EXTRACTION

Do all wisdom teeth have to be removed? Not all wisdom teeth have to be removed. When they erupt properly, and are kept healthy, wisdom teeth do not have to be removed. Unfortunately, this does not generally happen. The extraction of wisdom teeth is necessary when they are prevented from properly erupting within the mouth. They may grow at an angle relative to the other teeth, partially emerge from the gum, or even remain trapped beneath the gum and bone.

These poorly positioned impacted teeth can cause many problems. When they are partially erupted, maintaining good hygiene and keeping the gum tissue healthy becomes difficult. The opening around the tooth allows bacteria to grow and will eventually cause an infection that results in swelling, stiffness, and pain and can cause decay in the teeth in front of the wisdom teeth, the 2nd molars. The most serious problem occurs when tumors or cysts form around the impacted wisdom tooth, resulting in the destruction of the jawbone and the healthy teeth. Removal of the offending impacted tooth or teeth usually resolves these problems. Early removal is recommended to avoid such future problems and to decrease the surgical risk involved with the procedure.