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Tooth extraction is commonly used when your teeth are damaged by tooth decay beyond repair or you have loose and damaged teeth as a result of severe gum disease, wisdom teeth, impacted teeth, severely fractured teeth and as a part of your overall orthodontics treatment. It is often a treatment of last resort as you can no longer have your tooth back!
As your trusted dentists, we will often guide you to carefully consider other alternative treatments like root canal treatment, crowns and fillings.
The relatively lower cost and speed of extraction compared to other treatments is often deceptive.
Most of the time, your missing tooth will need to be filled to avoid:
1) your neighbouring teeth moving out of place;
2) the opposing teeth over-erupting;
3) accelerated wearing of your remaining teeth as they bear additional pressure;
4) difficulty in chewing; or
5) being aesthetically undesirable.
Having dentures, bridges or implants done are often costly. Therefore, the cost should not be a main consideration unless a back molar is being extracted and you do not intend it to be filled especially where there are no opposing teeth and it does not severely affect chewing and aesthetics.
We perform our extractions under local anesthetic. During the extraction, you can feel the pressure we put on the tooth, but you will not feel pain.
You may require surgical extraction if your tooth has more than one root or your roots have a complex shape.
Bleeding usually stops quickly after the extraction.
Some factors may complicate an extraction, such as:
Smoking
Blood disorders
Osteoporosis
Bone cancer
Previous radiotherapy in the jaw area
At your appointment with Dentist Mandy, the dentist will assess your full medical history prior to extraction and discuss all your risk factors with you.
Immediately after extraction, you may experience discomfort, pain and soreness as the anesthetic wears off. We recommend you take a dose of anti-flammatory or pain killer an hour after the procedure to help reduce the pain.
You should NOT:
Consume any food or drink until the anesthetic wears off.
Consume alcohol or smoke within 24 hours after extraction
Exercise for at least 24 hours after extraction
Spit, suck on a straw of rinse your mouth forcefully
While some pain and discomfort is completely normal after your extraction, if you experience the following conditions, be sure to inform us immediately:
Fever or chills
Uncontrolled bleeding that does not stop with pressure being applied or bleeding that continues after 24 hours
Pain and swelling that has worsened after the first few days
Numbness in your lip, tongue or chin more than 4 hours after extraction
Difficulties in swallowing or breathing
At Dentist Mandy, we are here to guide you through the whole course of your treatment plan, making sure that you are making the right choices for your lifestyle, budget and your long-term oral health. Contact us today to find out if extraction is right for you.
Before we begin the procedure, the dentist will give you an injection of local anaesthetic into your mouth to completely block any feeling from the area so you don’t feel any pain during the procedure.
However, you will feel a bit of pressure and hear some sounds as we extract your tooth, but we will make sure the procedure is as comfortable as possible!
All dental procedures do carry a degree of risk. After your extraction, it is possible to experience the following complications:
Numbness or altered sensation
Dry socket
Infection
Sinus problems
Damage to a nearby tooth or fillings
Thinning of jaw bone
Don’t be alarmed! Most people will not experience any of these complications and the dentist can discuss with you any particular concerns you may have.
Here are some tips to follow after an extraction:
Continue to swallow after the extraction so to prevent saliva from pooling around the gauze and the socket
Do not use your tongue to play with the socket because it may disturb the blood clot
Keep up your brushing and flossing. This will keep your mouth clean and healthy.
Gently rinse with warm salty water the day after the extraction. This will clean the socket.
Follow the post-extraction instructions given to you after the extraction. Dentist Mandy will go through it with you and if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to ask!