Teeth Extraction Procedures and Aftercare

Natural teeth are strong enough to last the entire lifetime of a human being. Once you have lost your milk teeth, therefore, you should work every hard to maintain the good health of the permanent teeth that set in afterward. Cavities and dental decays are the greatest contributors to damaged teeth. They allow bacteria and plaque to build-up on teeth, causing significant infection. Sometimes, the effects of dental decay are very advanced that a tooth cannot be salvaged. In such situations. Keeping the severely damaged tooth is worse than getting it removed. It is why a dentist recommends tooth extraction for some patients.

More about Tooth Extractions

The extraction of a mature tooth is different from that of milk teeth. Since the teeth are built to last a long time, they are harder to extract. The removal has to be done from the root, especially given the advanced damage of the decay process.

The extraction process involves a minor surgical procedure to get to the root of a tooth. Part of your gum tissue is cut open. The small incision exposes the tooth’s root as well as the bone supporting it. The bone that blocks access to the root is then removed so that the dentist can work on the tooth’s root. From here, the dentist will either remove the tooth as a whole, after rocking it back and forth to detach it from the root.

In some cases, the tooth may be too stubborn to be uprooted as a whole. For such teeth, a dentist will break the tooth into small pieces. The small pieces are then easier to remove.

Why You Need Teeth Extractions

Getting your teeth removed is not an exciting process. Most dental procedures are oriented towards saving the natural tooth and improving its longevity for as long as possible. However, if your dentist is recommending a tooth extraction, then there is a significant reason why you should have it removed. Some of the reasons are:

• Severely decayed tooth – the more severe a tooth is decayed, the more infection it causes on teeth and surrounding tissues. For a decayed tooth, unless it is treated, it can spread the infection to the adjacent teeth, particularly if abscesses have already built-up at the root. This could cause you to lose more than one tooth to dental decay.
• Crowded teeth – part of orthodontic dental care involves handling a crowded mouth. For such cases, an orthodontist will best correct the alignment of teeth by removing some of the teeth. A dentist can remove one or two of your teeth to make room for the rest of the teeth to sit correctly on the arcs of your mouth.
• Problematic wisdom teeth – wisdom teeth are the last set of teeth to grow in an adult mouth. They start growing between the ages of 16 and 25. They encompass 4 molar teeth, 2 on each jaw of the mouth. Sometimes, the wisdom teeth can grow unusually, impacting the adjacent teeth. This not only poses an orthodontic problem but can also make it difficult to chew. It also results in irregular shifting of teeth, plaque build-up to mention a few. Such teeth can be extracted to prevent such issues from happening.

Tooth Extraction Aftercare

The procedure of having your tooth removed is not similar to other dental works. You will need to take good care of your mouth after your procedure. The first agenda is to ensure your mouth has healed properly. There are two main areas to consider when taking care of your mouth after tooth extraction:

• What to Eat After Extraction

Since your gum tissue has to heal properly, the foods you eat have to change. A dentist will recommend soft foods, especially the first few weeks following your procedure. These will allow you to keep up with your dietary needs without overriding the healing process. Your dentist might also recommend eating ice-cream right after your procedure, to act as a cold compress when the numbing wears off.

• Teeth Cleaning After Extraction

Even after your treatment, you will still need to clean your teeth. However, you must avoid rinsing and spitting water forcefully right after the treatment as this will dislodge the blood clot and undermine healing. Wait for 24hours before you can clean your mouth. Use warm water with salt to gaggle out the food particles and rid you of any harmful bacteria.