At Cleary Dental, our dentist’s first priority is to repair your smile while saving as much of your natural teeth as possible. However, sometimes having a tooth pulled is necessary. An extraction is when the dentist pulls one of your teeth. This cannot be avoided in the case that leaving the tooth could cause a more serious problem or affect other teeth. Your extraction can be a much better option than other restorative treatments and this procedure is very common.
YOU MAY NEED A TOOTH EXTRACTION
We are lucky to have gums with a natural repairing quality. If you have serious tooth decay or damage from an injury the dentist may suggest an extraction. In this case, our dentist will simply pull your tooth in order to ensure that it does not cause damage to your other teeth or your gums. Our dentist will suggest an extraction to be safe and practical. Extractions are used when there is a risk of infection in another area. Dental extractions may also occur as a result of untreated infections. Additionally, if your teeth are overcrowded an extraction can provide the most practical solution.
WISDOM TEETH
Wisdom teeth are located at the back of your mouth. Your wisdom teeth will emerge between the ages of 17 and 24. They used to serve early humans who often consumed very coarse foods by helping them chew better. For some, your wisdom teeth may grow in without difficulties and easily line up with the other teeth, behind your molars, without causing any problems. However, your mouth may be too crowded for your wisdom teeth to develop naturally. It is common for wisdom teeth to be extracted in order to prevent overcrowding and pain if your wisdom teeth cannot grow properly.
TOOTH EXTRACTION AFTERCARE
You need to follow the instructions given by our dentist following your procedure so that your mouth will heal properly. Following your procedure, the dentist will place a small gauze pad over the site of your extraction in order to limit bleeding. This will also aid in the forming of a blood clot, and the most important and first step of the healing process. This gauze pad should be left in place for 30 to 45 minutes after you leave the dentist’s office. Be sure not to chew on your gauze. If your bleeding is persistent, you should close your teeth over a new, clean, and damp gauze pad. You will need to maintain this pressure for 30 minutes and you can do this as long as there is any heavy bleeding. The next day, your mouth will begin to heal, and the bleeding will begin to stop. Now you must keep the extraction site clean as the final steps of recovery; you only need to do this by rinsing your mouth with warm salt water to keep it clean. As long as you do this, your risk of infection will be low.
If you have a damaged tooth, our dentists at Cleary Dental will be able to provide treatment as soon as possible in order to ensure that the damage can be removed without causing problems to an otherwise unaffected area. Extractions are safe and common practice so you have nothing to worry about. Please let our professionals be your trusted care provider by calling (856) 428-3050 to request an appointment today.