Restorative Services
Teeth Extraction
Tooth extraction can happen for a number of reasons.
- Find cavities and tooth decay
- Assess bone damage
- See the status of growing teeth
- Find periodontal disease
- Examine your tooth roots and alignment
- Check for oral cancer
Simple Tooth Extraction
For a simple extraction, a local anesthetic is used to prevent pain and discomfort. To remove the tooth, a tool called an elevator will be used which is placed next to your tooth to gently loosen it. Once the tooth is easily accessible and loose enough, forceps are used to grip the tooth and carefully remove it. Once a tooth is removed, gauze is provided to bite down on for 30-45 minutes to ensure healing. After the removal of a tooth, you should refrain from smoking and eating solid foods and rinse your mouth frequently for the next 24 hours.
Surgical Tooth Extraction
A surgical procedure is done almost the same way. The patient will receive local anesthetics to ensure comfort through the procedure. The difference with this procedure is that the tooth being removed has not yet immerged from the gums, so we must make an incision to extract the tooth.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Wisdom teeth removal is the most common surgical procedure done in dentistry. These teeth don’t usually appear until a person’s late teens or early twenties. Some people don’t have to have them removed, but if they grow in impacted (there’s not enough room for them to grow in properly without damaging other teeth) then they need to be removed. Patients will experience some pain and swelling after the procedure which will normally subside after a few days.
Aftercare
After any tooth extraction procedure, it’s important not to disturb the area with any hard food, excessive chewing or drinking liquid through a straw for 72 hours. It’s normal to experience swelling and soreness for up to 48 hours after removal of the tooth and can be treated with an ice pack or frozen food bag. Medication should be used as prescribed and should alleviate symptoms. Make sure to keep up with your normal routine dental care after 24 hours and just be extra careful around the site.
Get Started
To schedule an appointment for a full dental exam at our dental office, or if you have a question about this service, fill out the form on our contact page, or call us directly at
517-371-5342.