When describing the exciting highlights of your day, a tooth extraction will probably not come close to the top of the list. Having a tooth extracted is never a pleasurable experience, but the procedure is essential because of its impact on your oral health and the appearance of your smile.
If you have a tooth extraction scheduled, there is no need to be afraid, because modern techniques have made the process less painful and safer than it used to be.
Saving your natural teeth should always be your priority, but in some situations, tooth removal is inevitable. There are two primary types of tooth extractions — for a tooth that is impacted in the gums, and for those teeth that have fully erupted from the gum. The process of removing a fully formed tooth involves grasping the affected tooth with the removal tool and pulling it out of the socket. No need to worry, as this is not as bad as it sounds.
If the tooth is still lodged in its socket, an incision will be made through the gum to reach the tooth. Afterward, the tooth will be broken into small fragments for easy extraction. Regardless of the type of extraction, you need to keep up with your checkups. Follow-up appointments typically entail cleaning the area, stitching, gauze, icing and drugs for pain and preventing infection.
A typical case is that the jaw may not have enough space to accommodate extra teeth, leading to overcrowding or tooth impaction if the tooth is not extracted in time. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause pain, infection, and harm to the nearby teeth and bone.
Nowadays, anesthesia can help reduce the pain associated with the tooth extraction process. Usually, you will be able to choose between local anesthesia, in which you will be conscious of the process but feel less pain, or sedation anesthesia, which will make you unconscious.
With sedation anesthesia, your consciousness will be wholly suppressed to ensure you feel absolutely no pain throughout the procedure and wake up with barely any recollection of the entire process. After the procedure, you will be given pain meds and taught after-care precautions that will increase the rate of recovery and make it painless.
Generally, the dentist’s expertise, experience and technique are huge factors for a painless tooth extraction. Also, the difficulty associated with the tooth affected. Under the proper conditions, a qualified dentist should be able to loosen and pull your tooth within a minute without causing significant irritation to the socket. A fractured tooth might be a lot harder to remove and typically requires more time to avoid causing further injuries.
Like root canals, tooth extractions have a bad reputation. Calling it “teeth pulling” does not exactly inspire confidence, as well. But technology and modern techniques have made the tooth extraction process simpler and with minimal pain to the patient. If you tread gently and follow the rules given by your dentist after your extraction, you should be feeling back to normal within a few days.
Request an appointment here: https://www.kevinjdailydds.com or call Kevin J Daily DDS at (831) 580-1141 for an appointment in our Santa Cruz office.
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