Tooth Extraction
 At Sharokina Eshaghi, DMD When we meet a patient, one of our primary goals is to help them have a happy, healthy, and complete smile. We will work as hard as we can to help preserve a tooth and prevent it from being removed from your mouth. However, sometimes a tooth is too far damaged and does need to be extracted. This damage can occur for a wide variety of reasons, but the most common reasons are due to advanced tooth decay, severe periodontal disease, acute infection, or even injury or trauma to the tooth.
When we here at Sharokina Eshaghi, DMD meet a patient who needs a dental extraction, we will work with them to not only help them feel safe during the entire procedure but also free from any possible discomfort.
What Happens During a Dental Extraction?
There are many different things that can lead to the eventual loss of your tooth. While we would love to save every tooth, the reality is that not ever tooth can be saved. If a tooth is too far damaged, it absolutely must be extracted. This can not only help prevent you from prolonging a potentially dangerous infection, but it can also help pave the way for you to get an attractive and natural-looking dental restoration.
There are two main types of dental extractions that you may encounter. The first type of dental extraction is known as a simple extraction. A simple extraction includes us carefully removing a tooth with our tools. It can be performed with a local anesthetic to minimize any discomfort to you. If you do notice any discomfort at any time during the procedure, please speak up, and we can administer more anesthetic to you. During a simple extraction, we will first loosen your tooth with a special tool called an elevator. Once the tooth is sufficiently loosened, we will then reach into your mouth with our forceps and gently pry the tooth out. This procedure is best for teeth that are whole and intact.
On the other hand, if a tooth is not whole or intact, then we may have to perform a surgical extraction. Surgical extractions are best for teeth that have been broken, or teeth that are not visible below the gumline. During a surgical extraction, we may have to cut into your gums to expose the affected tooth. Surgical extractions are more complicated because we may need to cut into the bone or cut the tooth into manageable fragments. This cannot be completed only with local anesthesia, and it may require intravenous (IV) or other types of conscious sedation.
At Home Care
We will give you instructions on how to take care of the site of the dental extraction after the procedure. This includes advice on how to keep the area clean and prevent problems like a dry socket (a painful condition that happens when the clot surrounding the extraction becomes dislodged) from occurring. If you start to notice any signs of an infection, such as excessive bleeding, foul discharge from the extraction site, or you are running a fever, please let us know immediately. You can use a cold compress and take over-the-counter NSAIDs like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help with any swelling afterward.
If you are interested in learning more about dental extractions, we would be happy to discuss this procedure with you further! For more information, or to set up an appointment with us here at Sharokina Eshaghi, DMD a call at (209) 526-4884 today!
|
