Tooth Extraction
TOOTH EXTRACTION CAN BE A PAINLESS WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR DENTAL HEALTH
If a tooth has been broken or damaged by decay, your dentist will try to fix it with a filling, crown or other dental treatment.
But when there’s too much damage for the tooth to be repaired, the tooth may need to be extracted — or removed — from its socket in the bone.
In some cases, this is the best way to preserve the health of the rest of your mouth.
CONDITIONS
- A broken tooth cannot be repaired.
- Loss of filling or when a crown comes off and reveals that the tooth underneath is too decayed to simply be fixed.
- Crowded teeth in an area that is difficult to clean.
- Impacted wisdom teeth (the last one at the back of each side of the upper and lower jaw), because they have not emerged through the gums.
- Advanced gum disease that has caused the underlying bone holding the tooth to deteriorate.
- Orthodontic removal of teeth needed to prepare for orthodontic work or to improve the fit of dentures.
- Cancerous teeth. Extraction of a tooth that is infected with cancer or affected by radiation
The team of experts at Wilshire Smile Studio, including a leading oral surgeon, will do everything they can to preserve your natural teeth, from keeping the gums that hold them in place in good health to performing root canals to clean out deep infection in a tooth.
TWO TYPES OF EXTRACTIONS
- A simple extraction– this procedure is for a tooth that can be seen in the mouth above the gumline. For a simple extraction, the dentist loosens the tooth with an instrument called an elevator. Then the dentist uses forceps to remove the tooth (in a painless way, of course).
- A surgical extraction– this is a more complex procedure, which is used if a tooth may have broken off at the gum line or has not yet erupted above the gums. The oral surgeon will make a small incision into your gum to surgically remove the broken tooth or impacted wisdom tooth.
But there are cases when the best way to preserve the health of the rest of your mouth is to remove the troubled tooth.
Wilshire Smile Studio has a team of experts and the latest technology and procedure to make extraction less difficult:
- Digital x-ray (which uses a tiny amount of radiation) to show what the tooth looks like under the gum and the amount of bone underlying it).
- 3-D CT scan to provide a more detailed view of the teeth and nerves to determine the exact course our oral surgeon should take.
- Topical numbing solution is applied and local anesthesia.
- Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas).
- Mild Sedation with a benzodiazepine pill.
- Intravenous drip (IV Sedation).
- Prescription for the appropriate pain medication to be taken for a short time before switching to over-the-counter options.
POST-SURGICAL CARE
We will give post-surgical instructions, such as:
- Use gauze pads to bite on
- Apply an ice pack (or bag of frozen vegetables) to the area to keep swelling to a minimum, which subsides after 48 hours.
- Drink lots of fluids and only eat soft, nutritious foods (avoid hard or crunchy foods like nuts and popcorn) for two or three days, and avoid drinking through a straw, spitting, or smoking (resume normal habits when comfortable).
- Our office staff and surgical team are available to answer any questions you may have before and after your surgical appointments.
