What Is Tooth Extraction?
A Tooth Extraction procedure, more commonly referred to as Dental Extraction, is the removal of teeth from the tooth socket in the mouth.
Know All About Tooth Extraction
How Do I Remove Damaged Tooth?
Sometimes, it is too late to save a tooth by filling or any other treatment. In this case, the tooth needs to be taken out. People receiving chemotherapy develop infected teeth due to weakened immune system. These teeth spread the infection further.
Other reason can be the need to make space for proper alignment of irregularly shaped teeth. Untimely shedding of primary teeth leading to a crowded mouth is one of the major factors among teens. Wisdom teeth often cause gum irritation, infection or swelling and sometimes, get stuck in the jaw.
Tooth Extraction can help you get rid of badly shaped or infected teeth.
Who Are The Ideal Candidates For Tooth Extraction?
This procedure is commonly performed on teenagers and adult patients. It is ideal for candidates who want to maintain the health of their teeth and gums. The procedure can be undergone for a variety of reasons, some of which are:
The most common reason for people to undergo Exodontics is because of unhealthy teeth. Unhealthy teeth can occur due to tooth decay, root canal infection and gum disease.
In many of the younger patients, overcrowding of the teeth may occur which can disalign the jaw and can sometimes cause great pain.
Sometimes, the wisdom teeth might remain inside the gum itself and can cause swelling, inflammation, infection etc.
What Are The Different Types Of Tooth Extraction?
There are two kinds of extraction procedures:
- Simple Extraction: This is performed on teeth that can be visibly seen in the mouth. Generally, a dentist uses an instrument called as an ‘elevator’ to loosen up the teeth from the jaw bone and then uses an instrument called as ‘forceps’ in order to remove the teeth.
- Surgical Extraction: This is a more complicated procedure than simple extraction. Surgical Extraction is done on people who have damaged teen that have broken off at the gum line or on people who have premature teeth, that haven't yet appeared outside. This procedure is done by an oral surgeon or a dentists, who makes a small incision in the gum. Minor complications may occur in this type of Exodontics (Tooth Extraction), like the surgeon removing some bone around the tooth or chipping some part of the tooth.
What To Do Before A Tooth Extraction Procedure?
- The patient must submit their complete medical history including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements, etc. to the foreign doctor for complete analysis of the patient’s medical condition.
- The patient must not smoke on the day of surgery at the very least as smoking could lead to a painful problem during surgery called the ‘dry socket’ and prolong healing time.
- An X-ray will be taken examining the affected tooth and the teeth near it. When there is a wisdom tooth involved, a ‘panoramic X-ray’ is used.
- Some doctors may prescribe antibiotics before the surgery due to various reasons such as controlling infection, strengthening immune system and safely bearing the length of the surgery if it is long.
- The surgeon may prescribe (IV) Anesthesia before surgery which can be conscious sedation or general anesthesia. For this purpose, the doctors may ask the patient to wear specific clothing like loose garments that have buttons in the front.
- Patients must not consume food or any drinks about 6 to 8 hours before surgery.
What Is The Postoperative Care For A Tooth Extraction Procedure?
- For 24 hours, the patient must not rinse their mouth and they should avoid spitting forcefully.
- A fluid diet should be maintained until the healing is completely over, which the doctor will attest.
- Eating quality ice cream is recommended by some doctors as the cold ice cream will numb the gums and prevent inflammation. After eating the ice cream, thoroughly wash your mouth.
- Patient should abstain from smoking as nicotine inhibits recovery.
- Painkillers, in case of intense pain, should be taken at the prescription of the doctor.
- Hard foods should be eaten after 24 hours of surgery in order to avoid hurting the operated area.
- After surgery, typically a blood clot forms in the socket from which the tooth was removed. Right after surgery, the surgeon will apply a gauze to the area and ask the patient to bite down hard. This keeps the clot in check. The gauze should be kept in place for up to 4 hours after surgery.
- The patient should lie down while keeping his/her head propped up on pillows to minimize chances of bleeding during the recovery stages.
- Rinsing with a few ounces of salt water every few hours after the surgery is advised to minimize chances of infection.
- Ice packs can be applied on either side of the mouth to reduce swelling as an after care measure.
What Is The Post-operative Diet For A Tooth Extraction Procedure?
Soups are beneficial for patients after a tooth extraction procedure for the first 1-2 days. Warm soup should be consumed, as it soothes the infected area while also providing the body with lots of protein. Soup is also a healthier option as compared to the other sugar-coated cold foods and drinks, typically advised.
After 8-10 hours of the surgery, patient should eat softly served ice cream, which is softer than regular ice cream due to air molecules injected during the freezing process. It is a good way to reduce the swelling and ease pain.
Applesauce, which is soft and mildly textured is the ideal kind of food that should be consumed after dental extraction. It contains Vitamin C and dietary fibers which are good for health.
Pudding, is not considered healthy but helps ease the ‘taste bud boredom’ that typically occurs in patients after Post-operative surgery. It also soothes the gums as it is cold and does not require hard chewing.
Crunchy and hard foods can be slowly included into the diet after 5-7 days of the surgery.
What Are The Realistic Expectations From A Tooth Extraction Procedure?
- The procedure can be simple, if surgery is not a part of the procedure as in the case of a less damaged tooth. However, in case of a wisdom tooth extraction, the procedure is mostly surgical while will be more painful.
- The extraction of a tooth can cause pain in the days that follow the extraction. You can take medication to keep the gums numb which will subdue the pain.
- You will have to monitor your eating habits for at least a week after the surgery. Your new diet should comprise of liquids and soft foods such as tofu, mashed potatoes, muffins, custard and yoghurt.
- Another thing to expect from this procedure is the change in your chewing style. The absence of a tooth can cause discomfort in biting or chewing. However, you will get used to it after a while.
- If opting for the procedure abroad, you might have to make two trips to the hospital in case you feel that the missing tooth is causing you considerable discomfort or a side effect appears after the surgery.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Tooth Extraction?
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Pros
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Cons
- A perfect smile: Sometimes, a person has more number of teeth than the jaw can accommodate. Thus, the removal of unnecessary teeth becomes compulsory. After removal, the result is that the remaining teeth are properly aligned to give you a better smile.
- Early removal of wisdom teeth: Impacted wisdom teeth can cause damage to adjacent healthy teeth, bone or gums. To prevent this, these are extracted before their roots are fully formed.
- Good bye baby teeth: Baby teeth not lost in right sequence can cause obstruction of the eruption of permanent teeth. Removing these can benefit the patient by preventing the need for orthodontic treatment like braces, later on.
- When nothing else works: When the prognosis of the tooth is so poor that dental crown or root canal cannot solve the problem, removing the tooth is the only way out.
- Post-extraction pain and swelling: After the removal, the gums in contact may develop inflammation. However, this is rare and can be easily treated with application of ice or gel.
- Root displacement into sinus: During the extraction process, root fragments may sink into sinus cavity which may lead to infection. The occurrence rate of these infections is very less. Thus, this can be prevented by removing the root tip in time.
- Pit formation after removal: The empty pit following the extraction can cause infection or dislocation of other teeth. This can be filled with implants or bridges.
Who Should Avoid Undergoing Tooth Extraction?
The extraction procedure is normally undergone by individuals who have one of the following conditions:
- A crowded mouth
- Root Infection
- At risk of infection due to ongoing medical treatment
- Gum disease
However, the following individuals are not advised to undergo the procedure, even if they suffer from the above mentioned conditions.
- Chronic smokers, as the need for smoking after the surgery can cause reopening of the blood clot and dry sockets, leading to extreme pain.
- Are at risk of greater-than-normal trauma during the surgery; due to the sensitivity of the tooth and surrounding nerves.
- Are at risk of dry socket after the procedure due to dense jawbone, preexisting infection or use of birth control pills.
- Have poor oral hygiene; if the gums are not healthy, the chances of postoperative bleeding are higher.
What Are The Alternatives To Tooth Extraction?
You would save your teeth if you could. Wouldn’t you? Here are some ways to do that and avoid the removal of your teeth:
- Root Canal Therapy: If the prognosis of the tooth is good, then root canal is the way to go. This is cheaper than extraction and you get to keep your tooth. This procedure involves the removal of the infectious or decaying nerves from the root of the teeth.
- Implants: Dental tooth implants can be used to replace a tooth that cannot be saved. These are securely placed in the jaw and are not visible once the surgery is complete. You can get full or partial implants depending on the state of the tooth.
- Apicoectomy: This procedure is generally followed if a root canal cannot be performed or fails in the long run. It is always suggested as a substitute to tooth extraction. This is a minor procedure in which the very tip of the tooth’s root is removed and sealed.
- Deep Gum Treatment: The gums surrounding the tooth are treated to strengthen the foundations around the tooth to prevent further decay. Again, this technique can be followed only if the prognosis of the tooth is promising.
Will Tooth Extraction Lead To Scarring?
- The patient will require 7-10 days for complete recovery, after a simple tooth extraction procedure while a surgical dental extraction may take up from 3 weeks to 3 months.
- Typically, after a normal extraction procedure, without any incident during surgery there are minimal scars, if any.
- It is also necessary for patients to take proper postoperative care and diet to prevent possibility of scar formation.
- In some cases people have reported a couple of scars being left near the gums, though they are hidden.
What Are The Temporary Side-Effects Of Tooth Extraction?
Temporary complications of tooth extraction include:
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Pain and bleeding
Pain and bleeding are common risks in a procedure such as tooth extraction. Make sure you regularly take the medication as prescribed by your doctor. It will keep the pain in check and help make the gums stronger so that they do not bleed often. In addition, avoid rinsing or spitting forcefully.
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Swelling
Swelling can only be tackled by consuming a liquid diet, and sometimes eating soft foods, especially ice cream. Ice creams act as a natural numbing agent for the gums.This diet needs to be followed for a week after the procedure takes place. By eating these, you minimise the pressure on gums and teeth.
How To Choose A Surgeon For Tooth Extraction?
The doctor performing the tooth extraction procedure for you should be able to comprehend the distinctions in your jaw structure, the extent of the attachment of the decayed/damaged tooth to the roots, in addition to evaluating correctly whether you need a simple extraction, or a surgical extraction.
In some cases, you might need to undergo surgery along with the simple procedure of tooth extraction. Your dentist should to be able to perform a surgery, or have an oral surgeon assist him/her in during the surgery. There are numerous skills that the medical staff needs to posses for a procedure like tooth extraction. For example, if the teeth is covered by excessive gum tissues, the surgeon needs to skillfully take out the tooth without damaging any of the adjacent tissues. Failure on the part of the medical staff can cause complications after the surgery, such as:
- Dry mouth
- Sinus opening
- Lower lip numbness
Hence, it is important to know about the surgeon’s qualification and experience before undergoing the treatment. This can be established by communicating effectively to your surgeon before the procedure.
