You may expect your teeth to last for a lifetime until your dentist throws a spanner into your plans by recommending a tooth extraction. Dentists don’t recommend tooth removal unless they have exhausted all options to preserve it. Except for impacted wisdom teeth removal among adults and teenagers, all other teeth go through an intensive procedure to keep them instead of recommending tooth removal.
If you have severe tooth decay or an extensive injury causing you enormous pain, dentists don’t recommend extractions unless it benefits your dental and overall health. In accidents causing fractures to your teeth below the gum line, dentists recommend an emergency tooth extraction to ensure that the tooth doesn’t become infected by bacteria and lead to other complications.
If you have severe decay in your molars, your dentist attempts to repair the tooth with crowns or fillings. While these restorations work in most cases, the rot is better dealt with by molar extraction. Therefore if you are recommended tooth removal for any reason by the dentist in Providence, RI, you can safely undergo the process knowing full well it is only for the benefit of your dental health.
Before the dentist schedules the process, they will take x-rays of your tooth to determine its location. Dentists at tooth extractions in Providence, RI, will inquire about any medications you are taking, including vitamins, supplements, herbs, and over-the-counter drugs. They will want to know whether you are affected by any conditions like diabetes, hypertension, liver disease, renal disease, damaged heart valves, and other issues.
The inquiries help the dentist either ensure all conditions are stabilized or treated before the tooth extraction procedure. Suppose your tooth extraction procedure is expected to be long, or you have any infections leaving you with a weakened immune system. In that case, you are prescribed antibiotics in the days leading to the process.
As you are undergoing a tooth extraction, it helps to bear in mind that you must make every effort to ensure you receive quality treatment. Make inquiries with the dentist about the type of anesthesia you will receive and wear loose-fitting clothing during the process. Have someone to drive you home if you are receiving intravenous or general anesthesia.
Tooth extraction is either performed in a simple or a surgical procedure.
A visible tooth requires a simple extraction where the tooth is quickly removed with forceps. Local anesthesia is administered into the area of your mouth if you are undergoing a simple extraction. You may also receive oral sedation in some cases. After your mouth is numb, your dentist widens the tooth socket by moving the tooth from side to side to loosen it and pull it with forceps. You shouldn’t feel any significant pain during the removal, but if you do, you can inform your dentist about the same, who will administer additional local anesthesia to comfort you.
If you are undergoing a surgical extraction requiring removal of gum tissue or bone before the tooth is extracted, you are administered intravenous anesthesia besides local anesthesia in your mouth. Oral surgeons perform surgical extractions to remove impacted teeth that are either broken off or have not emerged at all. Here again, you are unlikely to experience any pain because the anesthesia would have numbed your mouth, and the intravenous anesthetic would have relaxed you significantly.
You can expect some bleeding to occur after tooth extraction, either surgical or straightforward. You may also experience swelling on your cheeks with some pain, which is common after every surgical procedure. The entire healing period is approximately a week, and you must follow the instructions of your dentist to ensure the healing proceeds smoothly.
The pain from tooth extraction will bother you for some time, but your dentist provides a prescription or over-the-counter pain medications, which you must take as instructed. You must refrain from smoking and avoid any strenuous activity that can dislodge the blood clot from the extraction site.
Drs Rubinstein & Ducoff are qualified to recommend tooth removal if it benefits your oral health. If you have been advised one, please understand the benefits of the extraction outweigh any downsides and prepare yourself to undergo the removal.