Crucial Care Instructions After Tooth Extractions
The experience of tooth loss in adult life may not be pleasing. However, dentists in Vernon, BC, recommend these dental procedures for patients who need them for the greater good of their dental health. Once you overcome the mental hurdle of appreciating the need for dental extractions, you can take time to learn more about the procedure and gather tips for Caring for your mouth afterward.
What Are Dental Extractions?
They are procedures for permanently removing teeth from the mouth. Although tooth removal may not seem like it is a critical part of dental care, it is. It promotes good oral health in ways that would not be possible should you have retained the tooth. Some of the circumstances that may necessitate dental extractions near you are:
- Dental overcrowding – where you have more teeth in your mouth than the amount of space in your jawbone. Removing one or two of your teeth helps the process of realigning them in orthodontic dentistry.
- Severe tooth decay – where the infection in the tooth is too significant, preventing procedures like root canals or tooth fillings from effectively saving your natural tooth.
- Periodontal treatment – a severe gum disease called periodontitis threatens the stability of your teeth. In some cases, patients’ teeth loosen, while others begin to fall off even before they visit a dentist for teeth removal.
- Impacted teeth – are teeth that erupt improperly so that they remain partially stuck underneath the gums.
- Problematic teeth – are commonly wisdom teeth, the last set of molars to erupt in a human mouth. Sometimes wisdom teeth can introduce new dental issues that you did not have prior to the growing, including overcrowding, sore gums, plaque buildup, to mention a few.
Process of Removing A Natural Tooth
As an adult, it is only best to have a dental professional remove your tooth. Unlike children whose baby teeth loosen on their own for easy removal, adults often need forceful protocols for removing their teeth.
Depending on the reason for your tooth removal, the dentist will employ different approaches. The typical process of removing a natural tooth entails rocking it back and forth to loosen its foundation from the roots. Since the process will be uncomfortable and rather painful, your dentist will begin your procedure with numbing, eliminating all pain in the extraction site.
In other cases, however, a minor surgical procedure may be necessary to reach the target tooth properly. It is common for impacted teeth. Stubborn teeth may also require an intricate procedure where the dentist breaks down the target tooth into small pieces to ease its removal, piece by piece.
Caring for Your Mouth After Tooth Removal
At Ryan K Dentistry, we emphasize dental care after all procedures as a crucial part of the success of any dental treatment. Unless you take care of your mouth properly, you can easily attract dental infections and undo the work done in our dental offices. After one or more of your natural teeth have been removed, here are some ways to care for your mouth:
- Keep the gauze in place for several hours – after a dentist removes your tooth, he/she places a gauze on your wound to stop the bleeding. Bite down on the gauze for about an hour or so before replacing it. You may need to keep changing the gauze a few times until the bleeding is under control.
- Resist spitting – with bloody saliva, you will feel the temptation to keep spitting, which will work against the natural blood clotting process that helps stop bleeding and promote healing.
- Watch your consumption – what you eat will affect the recovery process. For one, you must refrain from taking alcohol and smoking for the first three days after your treatment. Aside from that, switch to soft foods that will not be too abrasive to your wound. For chewy foods, use the opposite side of your mouth, away from the wound.
- Avoid poking at the wound – your tongue will keep going back and forth to check the state of the wound. Be careful to avoid dislodging the blood clot that starts forming, as this will keep slowing down your healing and causing bleeding.
- Use an ice pack to cold compress – cold compressing your cheeks on the side of the mouth with a wound will help address the bruising, swelling, and soreness of your wound.