When is Surgical Extraction of Teeth Necessary?

You want to keep your teeth for your life, but a lot of times, there are circumstances which come up, which prompt the dentist to do something else such as removing the tooth for your dental health. And while many of your teeth are removable quite easily, it’s occasionally a little more complicated, and the procedure is not always the most fun. When is it necessary though? Read below to find out.

Why can’t all teeth be saved? Well, that’s because disease, trauma, or crowding happen. When teeth can’t be repaired with filing or crowns because of accidents or extensive decay, you might need an extraction. Teeth that aren’t supported by enough bone due to periodontal disease are also a part of the removal.  You should make sure that you use the right cautions when getting extractions. Infected teeth that don’t respond to root canals also need to be taken out in most cases. It’s not unusual for orthodontists to ask for this to happen too because overcrowding happens, and wisdom teeth are oftentimes taken out because they grow in awkwardly, or cause crowding as well.

So you have two types of extractions. You’ve got the simple ones, and the surgical ones. Simple ones are your normal extractions, but surgical ones happen when you need to get a tooth that’s below the gumline, or that the dentist can remove it with forceps. If it’s a volatile tooth that’s yet to grow in, this is another one. Stitches will be needed close to the site so it can heal correctly, and your dentist may also ask for specific pain medications after the procedure is done.

So why should you get a surgical extraction? Well, usually, this happens when you need to take the tooth out in pieces, and it won’t come out easily. This is also determined by x-rays and other such things.

Wisdom teeth oftentimes will face surgical extraction because they are impacted, which means they’re not completely erupting in the mouth. This does require cutting through bone and tissues too.  This also involves removing severely broken down teeth, teeth with long roots, or root tips, are other examples or surgical extractions. There are also times when the bone that’s around there doe become dense, so you’ll need surgical treatment too.

After it’s done, there are a few things that you’ll need to do. First and foremost, follow the dentist’s instructions and don’t use a straw for foods and drinks.

You will need to bite down on gauze for at least a half hour afterwards to stave the bleeding you should avoid eating, drinking, or talking for 2 hours after the extraction. You’ll need to drink lukewarm or cold liquids to help with this.  You should eat softer foods, and don’t’ rinse or brush the teeth for about 12 hours.  You should make sure that you gently rinse with a mouthwash, or salt water.  You should also avoid smoking, and always follow the doctor’s instructions on pain medications, and if you have persistent pain, or bleeding, then you should call your doctor.

The surgical extraction might sound daunting, but with procedures and anesthesia, you don’t have to worry about anything.  After that, you can talk to your dentist about tooth replacement options, whether you need it, and what you should do about all of this before you begin, so that you can adequately, and easily create the best tooth extraction experience that you can and so that it’s less of a pain for you.