How to Prepare for Tooth Extraction

Tooth Extraction

A majority of people are unclear about what tooth extraction entails, which is why they get frightened by the operation. Tooth extraction is usually needed whenever you have a tooth injury, tooth infection and diseases, and problems with dental growth. To ensure the best tooth extraction experience, consult general dentistry 80224 for expert tooth extraction procedures, as well as the best preparation, treatment, and recovery advice.

Preparation

The first thing to understand is why you need the procedure. There are numerous reasons why you may need a tooth extraction surgery including tooth decaying past the point of salvaging, baby teeth not falling out to give space to permanent teeth, teeth blocking others from coming out, and needing to create space for orthodontic treatment, among others.

Pulling out adult teeth means they will never grow back, thus you should ensure oral surgery is the best and the only way to treat your problem before proceeding with it. Provide a complete medical history to your oral surgeon so they can see what medications, prescriptions and supplements you’re taking. Medications could negatively affect the procedure, specifically the type of anesthesia they’ll use to prep your surgery.

What to Expect

You’ll want to arrive early to ensure everything is ready so that you can be relaxed and comfortable for the procedure. Depending on the time of the procedure, the surgeon will give you either a general or local anesthetic to numb the place where the tooth extraction will take place. A general anesthetic will put you to sleep and are more common when multiple teeth are being removed. A local anesthetic is used when only one tooth needs to be removed. Wear short sleeves that can be easily rolled up as the surgeon will give an intravenous anesthetic.

Understand all the different types of extractions. The oral surgeon will perform one or two different types of extractions, each with their own type of preparation and challenge. A tooth that can be seen in the mouth only requires a simple extraction done by a regular dentist. They’ll use an elevator and forceps. A surgical extraction, on the other hand, is done by an oral surgeon and is performed if the tooth is above the gum line or has broken off. The surgeon will cut into the gum and even remove a nearby bone to get to the tooth. It’s ideal when teeth have to be removed in pieces.

Recovery from Tooth Extraction

Give yourself plenty of time to rest and recover immediately after the surgery. The mouth will still be sensitive and you may still be under the influence of the general anesthetic. Your mouth will bleed after the extraction but you can control the bleeding with a gauze. Check the gauze regularly so it can soak up the blood. To help the blood clot, bite down on the gauze at your extraction site.

Contact the surgeon if the bleeding continues even after using the gauze a few times. It’s good if the blood clots as this helps protect the extraction site, otherwise, you might end up with a dry socket which is extremely painful. Be very careful when brushing your teeth as you don’t want to dislodge the blood clot. Avoid smoking, using straws or anything that causes sucking as this can also dislodge the blood clot.