Tooth Extraction
Having a tooth pulled may not be likable for many people, but there can be some conditions when a necessity of tooth extraction is there in adulthood. Tooth extraction, in simple words can be described as having a tooth pulled out from the mouth.
Why Is It Required?
Several conditions are there in which the requirement of tooth extraction can exist. Like if there is a presence of excessive tooth decay, an infection in the tooth or crowding has taken place, then the dentist might suggest the patient for tooth extraction. Those who have misaligned teeth or the shape of their teeth aren’t well, they try to opt for the treatment of braces. During this kind of treatment, the practitioner may require one or multiple teeth removed for there to be room for other teeth as they shift into place. There might even be chances for some cancer patients when they undergo chemotherapy or having an organ transplant may need to have their teeth removed for keeping their mouth healthy.
Procedures
Before scheduling the procedure of a tooth extraction, the dentist will take the X-ray of the patient’s tooth. In such cases, the patient must discuss about any medications taken by him or her and inform the doctor of any additional supplements, vitamins, and over-the-counter drugs. Two types of extractions are there, namely simple extraction and surgical extraction. Talking about simple extractions, they are normally done on those teeth which are visible in the mouth and done under local anesthesia. Surgical extraction is done when the tooth of the patient can’t be easily accessed. It happens when the tooth has been broken under the gumline or it hasn’t fully come out of the gun, for example a wisdom tooth.
There is also a need to tell the dentist if there is a presence of problems like diabetes, hypertension, damaged heart valves, an impaired immune system, an artificial joint, renal disease, a history of bacterial endocarditis, liver disease, a congenital heart defect, or thyroid disease. If there is a particular type of medical condition, an infection or a weakened immune system, even if the surgery is expected to be long, the dentist might recommend having some antibiotics in the days leading up the procedure.
There are some important things that you need to keep in mind like if someone suffers from cold, they need to tell the dentist as it will not be ideal to perform extraction at that time. Smoking is not good for health in general, but particularly when you’re dealing with the procedure of tooth extraction, don’t try to smoke. If you’re getting general anesthesia, have someone with you to be driven at home. In the end, follow all necessary instructions guided by the dentist during or after the procedure.
Risks Involved with Tooth Extraction
Some risks have been mentioned by the researchers in terms of tooth extraction. Though, if the dentist has recommended this kind of a procedure, the advantages likely outweigh little chance of problems. Usually, when a tooth extraction is performed, there can be an appearance of a blood clot in the socket- the hole in the bone where a tooth has been pulled out. Some other risks include nausea or vomiting, severe fever, and chills, indicating an infection, or there can be bleeding that lasts longer than a dozen hours.
Tooth Extraction Pain
When the process of tooth extraction is done, the patient will most likely feel some soreness, discomfort or pain. For that, the dentist may recommend taking some painkillers to reduce the symptoms or over-the-counter medications. If the pain has been stretched to two or three days after the completion of the procedure, try to contact the dentist. If the pain is worsened suddenly after some days, you must not wait to visit the dentist so that he will try to solve the problem.
What To Do After Tooth Extraction?
We will provide you some aftercare tips which will be helpful. Maintaining the blood clot is considered one of the crucial aspects of aftercare which forms in the socket where the tooth used to be. Try to care for the blood clot as it will be productive in the healing process and will prevent complications like a dry socket. In an initial couple of days, try to get plenty of rest, avoid rinsing, swishing, or gargling anything in the mouth, avoid using straws as they can create a lot of pressure on the healing wound that can easily dislodge the blood clot.
Try not to spit as it can also put some pressure in the mouth and the condition of dislodging the blood clot can arise. Those who have a habit to smoke must avoid smoking as it can create the same pressure in the mouth as straw does. Also, try to place an ice pack or you can apply a towel-wrapped ice bag on the area for some minutes that will assist in pain management.
How Long Does a Tooth ExtractionIt Take to Heal?
One of the things will be taking proper care of the mouth to avoid the problems of a blood clot. The healing process after tooth extraction will last about two weeks. But it becomes the duty of the patient to follow the instructions properly given by the dentist. Some tips of aftercare between the third and tenth day include eating soft foods. Throughout the healing process, it will be necessary to eat soft foods that do not ask for a lot of chewing and can trap in the empty sockets.
Sometimes there comes a need to extract multiple teeth from the mouth. In those cases, caring for multiple extractions may prove to be challenging and additional care will be required especially when the extraction has been done opposite to each other. In such cases, try to follow all the instructions guided by the practitioner so that it will be helpful for a speedy recovery.
If there is any problem before or after the tooth extraction that might be causing uneasiness, irritation or tenderness, the person must not hesitate in consulting their issues with the dentist. Like the fever has arrived after the procedure or there is a presence of severe, throbbing pain, or discomfort from the extraction part, numbness or tingling in the mouth, or the person isn’t able to fully open the mouth even after one complete week of his tooth extraction.