Tooth Extractions: When to Consider and How to Prepare?

Your teeth are oral structures; you cannot consider getting extracted based on your whims and fancies. If you need a tooth extraction as an adult, your dentist decides when to consider removing a tooth or two from your mouth and the reasons for the removal.

While you don’t have the freedom to consider when to get your teeth removed, you can undoubtedly be prepared for the procedure if tooth extractions in Providence, RI, suggest removing your teeth after examining your mouth to determine whether your oral health is better off without the tooth than with it.

Causes for Tooth Extraction and Common Extraction Techniques

Many reasons can necessitate a suggestion from your dentist to have a tooth removed. Some of the most common causes for tooth extraction include excessive decay, tooth infection, crowding, orthodontic treatments, and people undergoing chemotherapy or planning organ transplants needing compromised teeth removed to keep their mouth healthy. Whatever the reason, you must prepare for the procedure before your scheduled appointment to ensure you don’t have to run around after you undergo the tooth extraction process.

The technique for extracting teeth is relatively straightforward. If you have an infected visible tooth, the Providence dentist removes it using elevators to loosen the tooth before pulling it with forceps after providing you local anesthesia near the affected tooth.

However, if you must have wisdom tooth extractions because they are causing problems or are impacted, you will require a surgical extraction with more potent anesthesia besides local anesthetics in the mouth as the process is involved. In addition, dentists must make surgical incisions in your gums to expose the impacted tooth to remove bone blocking access to it before using dental instruments to loosen and break the tooth in pieces if required for easy removal.

Tooth extraction removal techniques are limited to two — simple or surgical, performed by a dentist or oral surgeon. However, before you receive a suggestion to have any tooth extracted, you must prepare for the procedure using the following techniques.

Firstly ask plenty of questions as you provide your entire medical history to the dentist with a list of medications you take for any conditions. You must also ensure transportation for your tooth removal process and remain hungry if you are undergoing a molar tooth extraction because the anesthesia you receive can make you throw up. In addition, you must arrange to stock your pantry with soft foods because you cannot rely on complex and crunchy foods after undergoing tooth removal.

Pain Management and After-Care for Tooth Extractions

Tooth extractions are stressful during adulthood and not glamorous, unlike childhood when you received money and rewards for losing a tooth because you will likely receive stares from your friends wondering why you had a tooth extracted.

You don’t have to worry about pain management during tooth removal because the dentist is responsible for the procedure. However, they will inquire about your dental anxiety level when they suggest tooth extraction and are prepared to give you adequate anesthetics or relaxation medications to keep you oblivious of the process. In addition, you also receive local anesthesia in the mouth to block pain impulses when the dentist works in your mouth.

Four to six hours after tooth extraction, you can expect discomfort from the procedure as the anesthesia wears off. However, your dentist is also aware of the phenomenon and recommends prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to help alleviate the discomfort. Besides the above, the dentist suggests resting for at least 24 hours without indulging in strenuous activity or bending forward because it can dislodge the blood clot in the extraction site.

You will notice swelling and bruising on your cheeks, which is expected after tooth extraction. You can use ice packs to alleviate the condition, ensuring you don’t prolong icepack use for over 15 minutes at a time because it can cause tissue damage.

Besides the above, you must keep your head elevated to prevent a rush of blood to your head that increases bleeding, and refrain from smoking, consuming alcohol, and using mouthwash because they harm your situation.

You must rely on the soft foods you arranged to nourish yourself without considering hard and crunchy foods that can irritate the extraction site and result in infections that require additional treatment from dentists.

If the pain and bleeding don’t subside within 24 hours or increase, you must contact your dentist in Providence, RI for advice because it might indicate infections. You should recover to resume normal activities after 72 hours of tooth removal, while complete recovery may require a week or two, depending on which tooth was removed and the complexity of the process.

Drs Rubinstein and Ducoff suggest tooth extractions for many patients approaching them with dental infections, injuries, and excessive decay. If you think you must have a tooth removed for any reason, consult them about when to schedule removal and how to prepare for the extraction before undergoing the procedure.