Dental Surgery
While you may want to protect your teeth for life, there may be situations that lead your dentist to recommend having your teeth extracted for the sake of your teeth. Although most teeth can be easily extracted, sometimes this is much more complicated and requires a more complex procedure. Here’s why you might need surgical tooth extraction and how your dentist will distinguish these procedures from others.
Why Can’t a Tooth Be Saved?
The American Dental Association (ADA) Mouth Healthy site suggests that teeth are often extracted due to trauma, disease, or congestion. If a tooth cannot be saved with a filling or crown due to accident or deep caries, the most appropriate method may be to extract the tooth. According to Warren Dentistry, teeth that are not adequately supported by bone due to periodontal disease are the biggest candidates for extraction, and it is recommended to use a toothpaste that protects the gums after extraction. Infected (abscessed) teeth that do not respond to root canal treatment may also need to be extracted.
Keep in mind that it is customary for the orthodontist to recommend one or two extractions before starting orthodontic treatment due to tooth congestion. Likewise, wisdom teeth are often extracted because they grow in a distressed position behind the molars.
Simple Tooth Extraction or Surgical Tooth Extraction?
Surgical tooth extraction is actually the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States, according to Doctors Ueckert and Bradley. If your dentist can easily remove the tooth with forceps (dentist pliers) when the tooth is visible above the gum line, this is a simple tooth extraction. However, if an impacted tooth hasn’t grown enough yet, your dentist will need to remove the gum or bone to extract the tooth. This is called surgical extraction and requires stitches to properly close and heal the area. In addition, the doctor may prescribe a more suitable pain reliever after the procedure.
In Which Situations Is Surgical Tooth Extraction Necessary?
By X-raying and examining your tooth, the dentist will usually determine whether the extraction will be simple or surgical. But there are also times when a simple extraction turns into surgery. For example, if the tooth is broken during the procedure, it may be necessary to remove the tooth in parts.
Wisdom teeth are often faced with surgical extraction because these teeth are usually embedded in the jaw, not fully protruding. This requires cutting the bone and tissue. Extraction of severely broken teeth, root tips, or teeth with long curved roots are other examples that require surgical extraction. There are also times when the bone around the tooth becomes denser, resulting in surgical treatment.
After Surgical Tooth Extraction
Surgical extractions will likely require one or more stitches at the extraction site. Regardless of whether a tooth extraction is simple or surgical, it is always important to closely follow the dentist’s post-treatment instructions to speed up the healing process and avoid any complications. In this regard, Reading Oral Surgery Group recommends the following:
Bite on gauze for 30 minutes after the shot to stop the bleeding.
Avoid excessive talking, eating and drinking for the first two hours after the shoot.
Drink plenty of warm or cold fluids after the bleeding has subsided.
Maintain your diet, but start with clear liquids and soft foods on the first day.
Do not rinse your mouth or brush your teeth for 12 hours.
Rinse your mouth gently with a diluted mouthwash or by adding 1/4 teaspoon of table salt to a glass of warm water, but stay away from the surgical site when brushing your teeth.Do not use straws, cigarettes or force yourself to spit as long as there is bleeding.
Follow your dentist’s instructions regarding the use of prescription pain medications.
Call your dentist if you have persistent pain or bleeding.
Surgical extraction of teeth may seem a little daunting, but with today’s modern technology and anesthesia, there is nothing to worry about. Next, you and your dentist can discuss alternative dental options to replace function and smile.
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