If you have a damaged tooth that does not respond to restorative treatment, your dentist may need to pull the tooth to protect the health of the rest of your smile. A tooth extraction involves a dentist carefully removing a tooth from its socket during oral surgery.
This process is simpler and less invasive than many people may imagine. But you can still anticipate some downtime while you heal from this dental procedure.
You can feel more confident and comfortable as you heal from this treatment when you know more about it. Find responses from your dentist to frequently asked questions regarding the recovery after a tooth extraction when you read on.
Will My Mouth Feel Sore After an Extraction Procedure?
During a tooth extraction procedure, a dentist will provide you with a local anesthetic and dental sedation to ensure you remain comfortable and do not feel pain in the dentist’s chair. These treatments will last for a few hours after the procedure and will begin to fade when you return home that day.
Once these medicines wear off, you may start to feel sore. This discomfort can be managed by icing the area to reduce swelling. Your dentist can recommend some over-the-counter pain medicine as well to bring you relief as you heal.
If the pain becomes severe and does not respond to management advice from your dentist, this is abnormal. Make sure to contact your dentist about this extreme sensation so that they can treat the issue right away.
How Can I Ensure I Heal Properly After a Tooth Extraction?
Your dentist will provide you with gauze to cover stitches at the surgical site directly after your tooth extraction. If you aggravate the healing surgical wound, you could dislodge a natural blood clot at the site, exposing nerves and bone. This results in a painful condition called dry socket that you will need intervention from a dentist to fix.
Follow aftercare guidelines from your dentist to minimize your risk of dry socket after this treatment. This means avoiding sucking and spitting motions with your mouth and practicing very careful oral hygiene. You may also want to stick to a soft-textured diet for the first few days of your recovery to prevent hurting the healing sites.
Do I Need Tooth Replacement After an Extraction?
If you get a tooth pulled due to impacted wisdom teeth or overcrowding, then your treatment will likely be complete after the extraction. However, in most other cases, missing teeth will put you in danger of further problems following this treatment. For this reason, you should talk to your dentist about tooth replacement options after the extraction.
Depending on your oral health needs, the dentist can give you a dental implant that will provide a fixed restoration of your smile. Or you may prefer a more affordable, removable tooth replacement like dentures. Learn more about how to get long-term oral health benefits by calling your dentist today.