Improve Your Oral Health With a Tooth Extraction

Tooth extractions are part of the treatment plan offered in dentistry. The treatment is given to different patients based on their diverse needs. The most common dental condition that calls for tooth extraction is tooth decay. A dentist or an oral surgeon is responsible for tooth extraction procedures. Tooth Extractions in Mesa, AZ for adults do not seem needful, but they are when there is a probable cause.

What are the reasons for a tooth extraction?

It is not every day that tooth extractions in Eastmark in East Mesa, AZ, are performed on patients. A dentist or oral surgeon has to be meticulous with the examination and diagnosis. The last thing you would want is to have a good tooth pulled out. If you are considering tooth extraction as a treatment plan, here are some viable reasons for pulling a tooth out:

• A crowded mouth

When teeth do not grow as they are supposed to, many things go wrong. Other than misalignment, a patient can have a crowded mouth. A crowded mouth results from teeth that might be too big for your mouth. The crowding can cause accidental biting, gum issues, bad breath, and plaque buildup. Pulling out a tooth or more from a crowded mouth prepares a patient for orthodontia. It is the treatment that follows to help straighten teeth.

• Tooth decay

Most patients who have their teeth pulled out have decay on one or more teeth. The decay causes an infection on the tooth and surrounding tissue. For the tooth decay to merit extraction, it has to cause damage beyond the tooth enamel. When you have a toothache, the infection has likely extended to the pulp chamber. If left untreated, it causes a lot of pain and can lead to further infection.

• Abscess

Abscess comes about due to infection of a tooth, following a cavity. When the pulp chamber of the tooth is interfered with, bacteria begin forming at the base of a tooth’s root. This causes infection and a build-up of the abscess. Accumulation of abscess is dangerous as it can further spread to the surrounding tissues and cause more damage to the patient.

• For dental alignment

When getting braces, your doctor can remove a tooth or two in your mouth. This happens to create room for other teeth to shift in the correct direction.

What should you expect during and after tooth extraction?

If you are reaching out to your dentist to alleviate the pain caused by your condition, then you should expect that the treatment will achieve this. Tooth extraction usually better the condition, especially when decaying is involved. Once the infection is cleaned out, your pain should wear off after a few days. However, here are some things you should expect during and after the procedure:

• Local anesthesia – your mouth has to be numbed to reduce the discomfort and pain that comes with the tooth extraction process. This is specifically because pulling out a tooth has to happen from the root, not just the enamel of it.
• Dry socket – this happens after the tooth has been removed. The space of the missing tooth forms a clot naturally. This clot helps prevent air from getting through to the socket. However, if the blood clot is dislodged prematurely, a patient experiences a dry socket. Dry socket can be very uncomfortable. For this, your dentist will place a sedative gauge/dressing to cover the socket. Keep that on for a couple of hours, or even days, as directed by your doctor. While at it, avoid using a straw. A straw invites air into your mouth, which might keep dislodging the blood clot and giving you’re the dry socket.
• Swelling – inflammation is part of the healing process after an extraction. The swelling might manifest on the gum tissues, as well as the cheek area. Your doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to help with the swelling. Besides, you can take ice-cream. Which acts as a cold compress to counter the swelling.
• Sensitivity – after the procedure, don’t expect to resume old eating habits immediately. Within the first couple of days, you will experience sensitivity. This should wear off after a week or two. Stick to soft foods like soups, smoothies, and yogurts. You can slowly reintroduce yourself to a normal diet after two weeks or so.