.jpg)
Tooth extractions are not an option to be taken lightly. At Arch Dental of West Hartford, we will only recommend extractions as a last resort, when the tooth is irreparable by other means or when it is the best-case scenario.
While we offer many restorative procedures, sometimes a tooth cannot be saved. Cases, where an extraction may be necessary, include extensive tooth decay, gum disease, overcrowding, severe dental trauma, impacted wisdom teeth, to create more space for orthodontic treatment, or when baby teeth do not fall out and prevent the eruption of the permanent teeth.
A basic extraction is when there is a very simple process of removing a tooth because the tooth is not impacted or broken at the gumline. When our West Hartford team has visibility of the tooth that protrudes from the gums, we won’t need to surgically remove it.
Wisdom teeth do not inherently need to be removed but because there usually isn’t sufficient space in the mouth to accommodate them, they cause problems that require their removal. Often, a lack of jaw space causes the wisdom teeth to be impacted. This can cause a lot of pain and even damage other teeth.
We will numb your mouth with a local anesthetic, loosen the tooth with a dental elevator, and remove the tooth with forceps. Typically intense sedation is not needed unless the patient has dental anxiety. The recovery period is typically shorter (about 3-4 weeks) than surgical extractions and sutures are not usually necessary.
To access the impacted tooth, we need to surgically open the gums. We will administer local anesthesia before we do this and patients may also need additional sedation depending on the complexity of the extraction and their comfort level.
Additional surrounding bone may need to be removed for easier access and then the tooth may be sectioned, which means cutting it into many fragments. Then, the tooth is loosened and removed with a dental elevator and forceps just like a basic extraction. We will suture the gums back in place. Recovery can take a little longer for a surgical extraction to heal.
After having your tooth extracted, you will need to keep the gauze in place and bite down for about 30 minutes. This will stop the bleeding. You need to regularly change your gauze with fresh, dampened gauze before they become soaked with blood.
You can remove them to eat or drink but should place a fresh pair of gauze right away. Alternatively, you can bite down on wet caffeinated tea bags which are effective in encouraging blood clotting.
Once the anesthetic wears off, you may experience some pain and discomfort. We recommend that you take anti-inflammatory pain medication for relief. While swelling may not be apparent in the first 24 hours, you should use a cold compress in the first 24 hours for 15 minutes on and off, when it is most effective at reducing swelling. Swelling will peak 2-3 days after the extraction in our West Hartford practice.
For the first 24 hours, abstain from rigorous physical activity, don’t drink alcohol or smoke, don’t swish around rinses in your mouth, don’t spit, and don’t drink through a straw. After 24 hours you can rinse your mouth a few times a day with a saltwater solution to remove bacteria.
Then you can brush and floss as per normal but be careful around the extraction site. You will need to stick to soft foods for the first week and then you can start to incorporate chewier and harder foods as the socket begins to heal. Avoid hard, sticky, and chewy foods for the first week.
