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Extractions
Teeth may require removal for several reasons - decay, impaction, breakage or fracture of a tooth, removal for orthodontics, and dental infection, to name a few.
Whether it is simple or a more complex surgery, our office is fully trained and experienced to ensure that it is done both properly and gently.
Our office treats both children and adults. We offer nitrous oxide sedation and Oral Conscious Sedation to make you comfortable.
There are several choices for anasthesia when removing teeth. Most teeth can be comfortably removed using local anasthetic (novacaine). If you are more nervous or anxious, we also offer both nitrous oxide sedation and oral conscious sedation.
Nitrous Oxide is a very safe inhalation agent which is mixed with oxygen and is given via inhalation during treatment. It provides a mild level of sedation and decrease in anxiety. When the procedure is finished, the nitrous oxide is removed and the effect is gone ina matter of minuites, leaving the patient safe to rive themself home. This method is also safe for pediatric patients.
Oral Conscious Sedation is a method of deeper sedation achieved through oral intake of a sedative agent. You are given a pill when you arrive to our office and in a short time, you will be in a state of near-sleep and remain very comfortable troughout the procedure. You will be groggy or tired after so you will not be able to drive yourself home. You will also have very little memory of the procedure.
To remove the wisdom tooth, your dentist will open up the gum tissue over the tooth and take out any bone that is covering the tooth. He or she will separate the tissue connecting the tooth to the bone and then remove the tooth. Sometimes the dentist will cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make it easier to remove.
After the tooth is removed, you may need stitches. Some stitches dissolve over time and some have to be removed after a few days. Your dentist will tell you whether your stitches need to be removed. A folded cotton gauze pad placed over the wound will help stop the bleeding.
What To Expect After Surgery
In most cases, the recovery period lasts only a few days. Take painkillers as prescribed. The following tips will help speed your recovery.
- Bite gently on the gauze pad periodically, and change pads as they become soaked with blood. Call our office if you still have bleeding 24 hours after your surgery.
While your mouth is numb, be careful not to bite the inside of your cheek or lip, or your tongue. - Do not lie flat. This may prolong bleeding. Prop up your head with pillows.
- Try using an ice pack on the outside of your cheek for the first 24 hours. You can use moist heat-such as a washcloth soaked in warm water and wrung out-for the following 2 or 3 days.
- Relax after surgery. Physical activity may increase bleeding.
Eat soft foods, such as gelatin, pudding, or a thin soup. Gradually add solid foods to your diet as healing progresses. - Do not use a straw for the first few days. Sucking on a straw can loosen the blood clot and delay healing.
- After the first day, gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times a day to reduce swelling and relieve pain.Vigorous rinsing will cause more harm than good!
- Do not smoke for at least 24 hours after your surgery. The sucking motion can loosen the clot and delay healing. In addition, smoking decreases the blood supply and can bring germs and contaminants to the surgery area.
Avoid rubbing the area with your tongue or touching it with your fingers. - Continue to brush your teeth and tongue carefully.
Your dentist will remove the stitches after a few days, if needed.
Why It Is Done
A wisdom tooth is extracted to correct an actual problem or to prevent problems that may come up in the future. When wisdom teeth come in, a number of problems can occur:
Your jaw may not be large enough to accommodate them, and they may become impacted and unable to break through your gums.
Your wisdom teeth may break partway through your gums, causing a flap of gum tissue to grow over them. Food and germs can become trapped under the flap and cause your gums to become red, swollen, and painful. These are signs of infection.
More serious problems can develop from impacted teeth, such as infection, damage to other teeth and bone, or the development of a cyst.
One or more of your wisdom teeth may come in at an awkward angle, with the top of the tooth facing forward, backward, or to either side.
How Well It Works
Wisdom tooth removal usually is effective in preventing:
- Crowding of the back teeth.
- A wisdom tooth becoming stuck in the jaw (impacted) and never breaking through the gums.
- Red, swollen, and painful gums caused by a flap of skin around a wisdom tooth that has only partially come in.
- Gum disease and tooth decay in the wisdom tooth, which may be harder to clean than other teeth, or in the teeth and jaw in the area of the wisdom tooth.