Everything You Need to Know About Tooth Extractions
More than 20 million teeth are extracted annually in the U.S., making a tooth extraction one of the most common surgical procedures performed. Unfortunately, many people let dental anxiety, which is apprehension about dental procedures, or dental phobia, which is an intense fear of dental procedures, prevent them from getting an extraction when they need it.
If you need one or more dental extractions, don't succumb to the fear of the dentist's chair. Advances in the dental field have made the procedures very quick and relatively painless, so if you need to have one or more teeth removed, call our Virginia office. We'll answer all your questions, do our utmost to allay your anxieties and schedule an appointment. You need healthy teeth to have good oral health, and you need good oral health to have a healthy body, so don't delay scheduling an appointment.
How to Determine If You Need an Extraction
If you need to have a tooth extracted, you may experience discomfort, pain, redness, or swelling in the area. You may also experience minor bleeding when you brush or floss. Since these symptoms are also indicative of other dental issues, your dentist will need to examine your teeth to determine the cause of your symptoms and the best way to alleviate them.
When you come in for your evaluation, we'll take X-rays to help determine the best course of treatment for your teeth, which may be a tooth extraction. However, don't wait to schedule an appointment in the hopes that the problem will go away on its own. It won't. The best resolution is early treatment, but if you need a surgical extraction, we may refer you to a local oral surgeon depending on the complexity of the procedure you need.
What Types of Tooth Extractions Are Offered?
The two most commonly used types of tooth extractions are a simple extraction and a surgical extraction. As the names imply, a simple extraction is simply removing the tooth. You'll receive a local anesthetic, and your dentist will remove the tooth. This type of tooth extraction is used for teeth that are easily accessible and not impacted.
The other type – a surgical extraction – requires surgical removal of the tooth and is most often used when the tooth is impacted or not easily accessible. This type is usually used for wisdom teeth that haven't fully erupted or other impacted or inaccessible teeth. A surgical extraction may require a local anesthetic, a general anesthetic, or sedation, and your oral surgeon may need to divide the tooth into pieces to remove it. We recommend that you arrange for someone to drive you home after either of these procedures, especially if you have a surgical extraction.
What's the Recovery Time Like?
Each patient has a unique physiology, so your recovery time will be unique to you and will depend, in part, on your overall health. You'll be provided with detailed aftercare instructions, which you should follow carefully, but the following tips may help speed your recovery:
- Control the bleeding by biting on the gauze pad. Change it as necessary, but your bleeding should stop in about 30 minutes. If it doesn't, call our Virginia office.
- Practice good self-care during your recovery. Avoid strenuous activity during the initial 24 hours and avoid using a straw, smoking, spitting, or rinsing forcefully. Any of these activities can dislodge your clot, which would mean the clotting process would have to start over.
- Keep the extraction site clean by gently rinsing with warm salt water several times daily. Start this after the initial 24 hours have passed. This will help reduce the risk of infection.
- Manage your pain with over-the-counter pain medications as your dentist recommends. If you experience severe pain, call our Virginia office.
- Maintain good oral hygiene by brushing and flossing as you normally would, but avoid the extraction site for the first 24 hours. After that time, you can gently clean the extraction site with a soft-bristled toothbrush.
Although you'll receive detailed aftercare instructions, your dentist will also provide you with instructions that are tailored to your needs, and those take priority over the written instructions. The more you adhere to the instructions, the quicker you'll heal without setbacks.
Need to Schedule a Tooth Extraction?
If you have a tooth that's become problematic and think it may need to be extracted, call Dental One Associates of Virginia at , and we'll answer all your questions and schedule an appointment. The sooner you treat your tooth, the better the outcome. Don't delay calling our Virginia office if you need a tooth extraction.
We're among the best in the area for dental procedures such as tooth extractions. If you want to maintain your healthy body, you need a healthy smile and healthy teeth, call us today.
We look forward to speaking with you and working with you.
