Perhaps your dentist has suggested you need a tooth removed, and you’re curious about the tooth extraction process. This guide will walk you through the procedure and the recovery.

Why You Might Need a Tooth Extraction

There are many reasons why you might need a tooth extracted. Common causes include:

• Impacted teeth (i.e., wisdom teeth)
• Severely decayed or infected tooth
• A damaged tooth that cannot be repaired
• Crowding (preparing for orthodontic treatment)
• Preparation for dentures

During the procedure, your dentist uses forceps to gently rock the tooth until it is freed. If the tooth is below the gum, your dentist must first make a small incision in your gum to reveal the tooth. Some extractions require only local anesthesia while others may benefit from a general.

How Long Is Recovery?

The recovery process varies depending on a few factors including whether or not your tooth had already erupted. If your tooth was below the gum (such as a wisdom tooth), you might have a longer recovery. Your dentist will be able to provide a more specific timeline for your situation, but in general, you can expect the recovery to look like this:

• Day 1: Protective blood clots form
• Day 2 – 3: Swelling should subside

If you needed stitches, your dentist could remove any remaining stitches about one week after your extraction.

Note: Infections can delay your healing. You can reduce your chance of infection by following all of your dentist’s instructions and keeping your mouth clean.

Can You Eat After a Tooth Extraction?

Immediately after a tooth extraction, you’ll want to hold off on eating until the anesthesia wears off. Otherwise, you might bite your lip or tongue. Once you can eat, stick with soft foods for a few days, and avoid anything that is hard or crunchy. Some tried-and-true foods include:

• Applesauce
• Mashed potatoes
• Egg or ham salad
• Soup (but not too hot)
• Yogurt
• Smoothies and smoothie bowls

What Not to Do

Although recovery from a tooth extraction is fairly straight-forward, there are a few things you should avoid:

• Brushing the extraction site
• Eating sharp or pointy foods (e.g., tortilla chips)
• Swishing (for the first 24 hours)
• Using a straw

What is Dry Socket (and How to Prevent It)

After an extraction, your body naturally forms a protective blood clot over the extraction site. This blood clot protects your nerves and bone from being exposed. However, if the blood clot is dislodged, it can lead to a painful condition called dry socket. You can reduce your risk of developing dry socket by avoiding smoking cigarettes and by avoiding straws as those activities can dislodge the clot.

Pain Management

If you feel discomfort after a tooth extraction, you have a few options for pain management. Your dentist might provide a prescription for pain medication if you had a particularly complex extraction. Other options include:

• NSAIDs: Take only as directed
• Ice packs to reduce swelling: You can even find ice packs that are specially designed for the face
• Swish salt water: Combine one teaspoon of salt and one cup of warm water. Swish in your mouth. This will soothe sore gums and help to keep your mouth clean. Do not swish until 24 hours have elapsed after your extraction.

When to Call Your Dentist

Do you need to have a tooth extracted? Do you have questions about the extraction process? Contact us today to learn more or schedule an appointment.

Having a tooth extracted is never exactly a joyful occasion, but if it ends a long period of pain or discomfort, it can be a welcome procedure. Since your dentist will use local or general anesthesia, so you don’t feel any pain during the extraction, it’s much more likely that you’ll face an issue during recovery instead. Understanding the timeline of healing after a tooth extraction will prepare you for the process and alert you when something isn’t going to plan.

Size and Complexity

First, understand that every mouth and tooth is different so that healing can go faster or slower depending on factors out of your control. A surgical extraction takes longer to heal than a simple one, and a large molar or wisdom tooth leaves a bigger wound than a small baby tooth. In general, extraction sites tend to close up within one to two weeks, and complete healing is usually achieved by the end of a month.

First Day

The first 24 hours after an extraction usually involves enough discomfort and swelling you’ll need to rest from your usual activities. For surgical extractions, your dentist may extend this rest period to 48 or 72 hours. You should develop a strong blood clot by the end of the first day and experience little to no more bleeding. If you still have heavy bleeding, you’ll need to talk to your dentist.

First Week

Any stitches or sutures used during the extraction will usually start loosening or dissolving by the end of the first week. Oral tissue heals rapidly, so if you’ve reached the middle of the first week and are still having intermittent bleeding or don’t see signs of the site closing up, discuss your concerns with your dentist. Prompt action at the first sign of sluggish healing can prevent a painful and difficult to treat infection and bone damage.

Second Week

While large openings may still be visible by the end of the second week, you should be on the road to recovery and have little to no dry socket risks at this point. The color of the gum tissue should be stabilizing, with very little to no red wound visible at this point. You may still experience some tenderness and swelling, especially if stitches remained in place through the second week. Continue to check the gum area daily in the mirror until you no longer see any signs of the extraction sites. A visual inspection helps you decide if a little soreness is normal or linked to a deeper problem.

Indention

Many dental patients worry the weeks after an extraction because an indention may remain in the gum tissue for quite some time. Unless you can see an opening into the gum tissue below, even a deep indention is normal because the tissue takes some time to fill in the area where the tooth and root once sat. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have your doctor do a quick inspection if you’re experiencing soreness.

Having a tooth extracted isn’t a pleasant notion for anyone. However, sometimes it is a necessary procedure. Some people will put off seeing their dentist when they have a toothache or feel they might need to have a tooth extracted. The procedure isn’t as frightening as many believe it to be and can be the best solution to several problems. A visit to see your dentist is best if you think you might need to have a tooth extracted. They can tell you if it’s necessary or if other treatments would be better. However, you can also be more aware of when it might be best to have a tooth removed.

Damaged Tooth

A tooth extraction might be needed if your tooth is severely damaged. You might have broken it by biting down on something or perhaps during an accident. It could also have broken as a result of decay. In some cases, the tooth can be repaired using one of several methods. For example, a filling might be able to fix the damage, or a crown might be appropriate. However, sometimes the tooth is too damaged to restore or preserve it, and it needs to be extracted.

Crowded Mouth

Another reason for requiring a tooth extraction could be that your mouth is crowded. This is a common practice for teenagers and adults who are getting braces. An overcrowded mouth can make it more likely for teeth to be misaligned. Removing a tooth gives the other teeth more room to spread out and straighten. It can also be a good idea to remove a tooth if a new tooth isn’t able to break through the gums. A crowded mouth can prevent this from happening, so extracting the tooth might be the best option.

Infection or Risk of Infection

An infection in the tooth or even just a risk of infection is another reason to extract a tooth. An infection might occur when the pulp of the tooth is damaged by tooth decay. When this happens, a root canal is sometimes performed to correct the problem. The patient might also be given antibiotics to treat the infection. However, sometimes neither of these treatments works. In these cases, extracting the tooth is often the solution that will take care of the problem. However, it is a last resort after other treatments have been attempted.

Dupont Dental for Tooth Extraction

Dupont Dental is the place to come if you need a tooth extraction. Our dentists excel at the procedure, ensuring that you are cared for throughout. Our comfortable office helps you feel calmer as soon as you walk through the door. The waiting room is always stocked with an excellent magazine collection and music helps you to relax. Our bright and cheery office is modern and avoids the feel of a sterile medical establishment. We do our best to ensure that your tooth extraction is as comfortable as possible.

If you need to see your dentist, don’t put it off. Performing a tooth extraction sooner rather than later will prevent further problems.

Permanent, adult teeth are supposed to last a lifetime, but sometimes tooth extraction becomes necessary to maintain oral health. Thankfully, with today’s various tooth replacement options, losing a tooth doesn’t mean dealing with an uncomfortable space in your mouth. Dentists do their best to save teeth and protect your smile, but in some cases, tooth extraction is the safest and healthiest solution to a dental issue.

Reasons for tooth extractions

One of the most common reasons for tooth extraction is having a tooth that’s suffered too much damage from decay or trauma to be repairable. Additional reasons for having a tooth removed include:

• Tooth pulp infection – When damage and decay reach the tooth’s center where the nerves and blood vessels lay, called the pulp, bacteria can invade the pulp and cause an infection. Root canal therapy may be able to treat the infection, but if it’s too severe, extraction can be required to prevent the infection from spreading.
• Infection risk – Sometimes other health issues require that a potentially infected tooth undergo extraction to prevent further problems in a patient with a compromised immune system, such as someone undergoing chemotherapy.
• Crowding – Sometimes orthodontia treatments require tooth extractions to eliminate overcrowding in the mouth. The purpose of orthodontia is to align a patient’s teeth properly, but when the teeth are too big for the mouth, extraction may be necessary.
• Impacted tooth – When a tooth is impacted in the gum and hasn’t erupted because of lack of room in the mouth, the dentist may extract it to avoid damaging other teeth, infections, and crowding.
• Gum disease – If a tooth or teeth have grown loose due to gum disease and the subsequent infection of the bones and tissue supporting the teeth, the dentist may extract the teeth to help restore oral health.

Tooth extraction procedure

The procedure for tooth extraction depends on the reason for removing the tooth or teeth. Before the extraction, the dentist administers a local anesthetic to numb the region, and if more than one tooth requires removal, the dentist may use a general anesthetic that prevents pain and sedates the patient. The dentist’s primary goal during an extraction is to make sure you remain comfortable and that the infected, impacted and damaged tooth receives safe complete removal.

Following tooth extraction

Recovery from tooth extraction usually takes a few days, and the dentist will send you home with instructions that helps reduce infection risk and discomfort while speeding recovery. If the dentist prescribes painkillers or antibiotics, make sure you take them as directed. Rest as necessary and avoid smoking, which can inhibit the healing process. The total healing time following tooth extraction can take about 1-2 weeks, during which time new gum tissue and bone will grow into the space left by the missing tooth. Without a replacement tooth option, surrounding teeth can shift into space, which is why dentists recommend a replacement such as a fixed bridge, denture or dental implant.

With today’s tooth replacement innovations, there’s no need to worry about your smile if a tooth extraction becomes necessary. If you’re suffering from a condition that requires extraction, contact Dupont Dental to discuss your treatment options and possible tooth replacement.