The teeth are essential organs of the mouth that get us through daily activities. They aid in chewing food (biting, tearing, chewing, and grinding), production of speech, and pronunciation of words and are responsible for the shape of the face. Therefore, they require utmost care if we do not want to face difficulties while performing these actions. However, there are some cases where we would have to remove the teeth voluntarily to protect our dental health. This procedure is known as tooth extraction.
Tooth extraction is a dental procedure through which a dentist near you removes a damaged/infected tooth with the aid of anesthesia to protect other teeth and your dental health. The teeth are only removed naturally once in a lifetime during the transition from milk to permanent teeth. The permanent teeth should serve you for life; therefore, there is no replacement for them. However, when all other procedures to treat a tooth that has become a threat to your comfort and dental health fail, tooth extraction is considered the last resort to save your other teeth and protect your dental health.
Why Do You Need A Tooth Extraction?
The following are reasons why you might require tooth extractions Houston:
- Overcrowding. When there are more teeth than the mouth can accommodate, the teeth are cramped into the mouth, making them crooked and aesthetically poor. To free up spaces in the mouth, your dentist may need to extract a tooth or two.
- Failed dental treatments. In cases where a dental treatment fails terribly and leads to severe infection, you might need to extract the affected tooth.
- Impacted teeth. These teeth do not grow above the gumline or break below the gumline. It is impossible to clean these teeth, making them sites for bacteria and dental plaques. Therefore, these teeth need to go to prevent infections.
- Wisdom Teeth: These are the last set of molars to grow in the mouth. They cause problems more often than not; therefore, you might require wisdom teeth removal in Houston.
- Excessive tooth decay: Dental plaques cause tooth decay. When it gets severe to the extent that the tooth pulp is infected, you might want tooth extraction if a root canal procedure fails.
- Gum diseases: Periodontal diseases affect the gums and might cause them to recede or lose their hold on the teeth, thereby requiring extraction.
- Prosthetic Indications. Sometimes, to fix some dental restorative appliances, you might need to extract a tooth or two for the procedure’s success.
Tooth Extraction Procedure
There are two types of tooth extraction procedures. They are:
- Simple Tooth Extraction: As its name implies, a simple tooth extraction procedure is suitable for when the affected tooth is visible and above the gum line. Before beginning the process, your dentist will administer an anesthetic to numb the area they want to work on. After this, your dentist grasps the tooth with the aid of dental forceps and removes it out of its socket.
- Surgical Tooth Extraction: This tooth extraction procedure is more complicated than simple extraction as it requires surgery. After administering anesthesia to numb the work area, the surgeon will incise your gum and bone tissues that cover the tooth to expose it. Then, your dentist grasps the tooth with dental forceps, rocking it back and forth gently to loosen it from the firm hold of the jawbone and ligaments. Sometimes, the tooth is broken into pieces before extraction.
After extraction, your dentist places a gauze pad over the empty tooth socket for you to bite down on to stop bleeding. Sometimes, the gum edges might be closed over the extraction site with stitches. Visit us at Cabrera Dental Associates- Houston, TX for your tooth extraction.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Tooth Extraction?
You might be asked to suspend all physical activities for about 48-72 hours to allow the treatment area to clot. After this, you should be able to return to your normal activities. In about 7-10 days, the opening left by the extracted tooth would be almost closed. The soft tissue fully heals in about 3-4 weeks.
