Tooth Extraction Treatment Aftercare

It is one thing to have braces on, but it is a whole different thing when your tooth is removed. Tooth extraction involves the complete removal of a tooth from the root. It is considered tooth extraction when no part of the tooth is saved, strengthened, or improved.

What to Expect During the Treatment

Tooth extraction procedures do not take a lot of time to perform. After identifying the damaged tooth, the dentist is more than capable of pulling it out in a few steps. The procedure can be performed by either a regular dentist or a dental surgeon. The first step involves a thorough analysis of the damaged tooth. This will help figure out where the tooth is located and how it is positioned on the mouth. The idea is to extract the tooth without causing damage to the nearing teeth to make them lose.

Tooth extraction in Plano cannot be performed without local anesthesia, unless under unique circumstances. The procedure can be painful, which is why the area is numbed. After numbing, you barely feel a thing while in Plano dental. Afterward, your doctor will use different dental tools to help shake the tooth from its foundation. When the tooth is loose, it is pulled out. In some cases, stubborn teeth do not conform to this extraction process. Such cases require the dentist to break the tooth in small pieces for easy removal.

What to Expect After the Treatment

Once your tooth has been removed, bleeding is expected. The doctor will place gauze on the area to stop the bleeding. This gauze will also help promote healing by allowing a blood clot to form. For the next few days, the most important thing is to care for the wounded area to allow for quick healing. Depending on the depth of the roots of the teeth, the healing period can vary.

Immediately after the procedure, expect the numbness to continue for a few more hours. It takes time before you can start feeling your mouth again. However, it should wear off within the same day or the next. When the anesthesia wears off, most patients experience some pain. The dentist will prescribe some painkillers for when the numbness wears off. Luckily, the pain also goes down after two or three days. Other things to expect include:

• Sensitivity – tooth sensitivity is not necessary when a tooth is in distress. After tooth extraction, the last thing you want is foods that are too hot or too cold.
• Bleeding – the wounded area should stop bleeding in the first or second day. The mouth is great in controlling its bleeding. If it persists, talk to your doctor to check if other issues might be wrong.
• Pain and discomfort – as mentioned earlier, the pain might be more severe in the first few days than afterward. In time, all the pain should subside. However, you will encounter some discomfort, especially when eating and chewing. It should only be a matter of time before you are used to your new dental status.
• Swelling – inflammation is a countermeasure of the immune system. You can expect one side of your cheek on the affected tooth to swell. This should only happen in the first few days after your procedure.

Aftercare Tips

Knowing what you should expect after your treatment, here are a couple of tips that will help you properly manage your wounded site while speeding the healing process:

• Use a cold compress – the swelling will go away on its own, but it might take time. Using a cold compress against the affected cheek can help relieve you of the swelling, and alleviate some of the discomforts. It is why your dentist might suggest eating ice cream after your procedure. Otherwise, you can use a hot towel for hot compress to achieve similar results.
• Eat soft foods – your dentist will also emphasize this. Soft foods like smoothies, soups, and juices are less likely to inflict pain on the wounded site. This is very necessary, especially in the first week after your treatment.
• Avoid straws – straws suck in air that can dislodge the clot.
• Avoid getting your tongue on the area as it might dislodge the clot