Excruciating pain and discomfort; the foremost feelings when one even thinks of tooth extraction, let alone face it. Tooth extraction procedures top among the most dreaded phobias in the world and rightly so, it is no scaling or teeth whitening procedure. While your dentist near Houston would do the job splendidly, you as a patient must know a thing or two to make the entire process go seamlessly.
Regardless of your age and condition, tooth extraction is no child’s play and therefore requires pre-procedure information that would make you feel comfortable throughout and after. Take a look.
What are the reasons for Tooth Extraction?
One of the major reasons why a tooth is pulled is because it is not worth preserving or fixing. It is terminally damaged. According to a dental care Houston, after a thorough examination and X-rays, assessment is made based on two reasons that lead to tooth extraction— when it is recommended or when it is necessary.
Tooth extraction is recommended when-
- Crooked teeth or crowded teeth.
- There is severe tooth loss without discomfort.
- Other orthodontic treatments are not possible.
Tooth extraction is necessary when-
- Tooth root fractures.
- Defected gums and bones with severely loosened teeth.
- Constant pain due to loose teeth.
- Unhealed inflammatory pain under the root tip.
- Discomfort due to broken or damaged teeth.
- Recurring inflammation due to wisdom tooth.
General Risks involved with Tooth Extraction
Patients should be aware of possibly everything in this procedure. These risks are not life-threatening and would immediately be dealt with by experts. Still, there are special risks that require additional treatments and general ones that are natural.
Special risks
- Mandibular nerve damage.
- Damage to the adjoining teeth.
- Opening of the maxillary sinus in the upper jaw.
- Temporomandibular joint dislocation.
General risks
- Swelling
- Pains
- Inflammation
- Dry socket or empty socket
- Secondary bleeding (only if you have been taking blood-thinning medication)
- Hematomas
- Blood vessel injury
What happens in a tooth extraction procedure?
The treatment begins with local anesthesia. This treatment is usually started using conduction anesthesia (entire nerve) or intraligamentary anesthesia (tooth support). Houston dentist suggests that there are possibilities, however, that both types of anesthesia are often used so that the treatment goes pain-free
Next, the tooth is loosened when pain can no longer be felt or feared. This step involves detaching the gums from the tooth with the help of a lever; the tooth is gently moved back and forth, leading to loosening. Once it is loose, the tooth is grabbed and stretched further with the help of special pliers. This removes the tooth from its socket.
This process leaves a wound that needs to be cleaned. The dentist, post this process, scrapes out the tooth socket with a sharp spoon. This cleans or removes the tissue prone to inflammation.
Post-procedure Tips to remember
- Among the biggest thing that often gets neglected is brushing. The most important tip to keep in mind is to keep the affected/treated area clean. Brushing is advised as long as you keep the brushing strokes light and not too harsh. Be careful while brushing, the key is to keep the area clean.
- Change your old toothbrush immediately, or else, it would lead to complications. The reason why the toothbrush needs to be swapped is that there could still be bacteria on the old toothbrush that can easily infect the wound. Instead, use a soft-bristle toothbrush.
- The blood clot visible in the affected area should be best left untouched. Consider it as a wound dressing and the best thing to do is to keep it clean. Blood clots are often feared but instead, it obstructs bacteria to penetrate the wound. This prevents other dental problems and pain.
- Make sure to eat foods that are less likely to get stuck between your teeth. Avoid crunchy and sticky food items.
- Caffeine causes the blood vessels to dilate and blood pressure fluctuation. This would eventually damage the blood clots securing the treated area. Therefore, limit or avoid coffee consumption for a few days after the tooth extraction.
- Smoking pipe, cigar, or cigarette would harm the affected area and slows down the healing process. Therefore, avoid smoking after tooth extraction.
- Avoid extremely hot baths, showers, and saunas as it causes the blood clot to fall out and blood vessels to dilate.
- Physical exertion must not be encouraged. Avoid strenuous physical activities post tooth extraction treatment or the wound might open and get infected.
Tooth extraction as scary as it seems, should not be dreaded. Any risk or complication after the treatment is only natural and would be taken care of through the best dental services.