When a tooth is damaged, decayed, or impacted by disease, we often offer care with restorations to help protect and preserve the tooth. But what if the tooth is beyond traditional restorative treatment? To prevent the spread of infection, we could offer an extraction. In today’s blog, your Prairie Village, KS, dentist talks about the benefits of a tooth extraction!
Situations That Require Removal
When do we need to remove a tooth completely to help your smile? As we touched on above, damage, decay, or infection too severe to be addressed with root canals and crowns could mean that lack of removal enables infection to reach other teeth or move into the jawbone. We could take out teeth loosened by gum disease, or to make room for orthodontic treatment. Extraction also helps prevent wisdom tooth impaction by removing these third molars before they even erupt. We could also take out teeth to pave the way for dentures or to help improve bite balance and chewing function.
Planning Your Tooth Extraction
Our team wants to ensure your experience is a comfortable one, and that you can receive treatment in a calm and relaxing environment. We will plan the procedure in detail by taking digital x-rays of your jaw, so we can pinpoint the position of the tooth in question, as well as nearby blood vessels, nerve tissues, or sinus cavities. We then plan the extraction to avoid these, so the process is comfortable and fast, usually taking about 30 minutes. We will administer a local anesthetic to the area, and offer sedation to help you enter a state of calm and relaxation throughout the procedure.
Gentle Tooth Removal
Once you’re ready, we will use a pair of forceps to gently take out the tooth in question out of your smile. We may add medication to the area and suture it closed too. We will remove sutures in a follow-up visit, and for the initial day or two we recommend resting, avoiding straw use, being very gentle when brushing and flossing, and eating soft foods only. We will provide medications to help keep you comfortable and ensure a complication-free healing period. We want a clot to form and not dislodge, so take it easy for the 24 to 48 hours, after which you can return to your normal routine!
If you have any questions about the tooth extraction process, then contact our team today to learn more.
Do You Have Questions About Restorative Dentistry
Our team wants to offer a solution to issues that could impact the overall stability of your smile, so you can enjoy your best smile. To find out more about how we protect the health and function of your smile, you can call Dr. Browne in Prairie Village, KS, at 913-901-8585.
