Everything You Need to Know About Extractions and Aftercare

Tooth extraction is a pretty common procedure, even for adults—although their teeth are meant to be permanent.

However, gum disease, crowded teeth, tooth decay, and infection are a few reasons why your dentist would recommend a tooth extraction. The procedure and the aftercare are straightforward. Here’s what you can expect.

How Tooth Extraction is Performed

Your dentist will inject a local anesthetic to numb the area before pulling out the tooth. If you’re having more than one tooth pulled out, your dentist might use a general anesthetic. This will make you sleep throughout the procedure and prevent you from feeling pain.

If the tooth is infected, the dentist will cut the bone and gum tissue that covers it. Then, they will grasp the tooth by using forceps and move it around gently until it breaks away from the jaw ligaments. The dentist will remove the tooth in pieces if it’s hard-to-pull.

There will be a blood clot in the socket once the tooth is pulled out. The dentist will place a gauze pad in the socket and have you bite down on it to stop the bleeding. If it doesn’t, you’ll need a couple of stitches to close the gum edges. They don’t hurt and are usually self-dissolving.

In some procedures, the blood clot breaks loose and exposes the bone in the socket. It’s a painful condition, and your dentist will place a sedative over the socket for a few days to prevent the formation of new clots.

The Aftercare

You can expect to heal fully in about 7 to 10 days. If you’re feeling discomfort, here are some things you can try:

Take painkillers
Leave the gauze pad in for 3 to 4 hours or as recommended by your dentist
Apply an ice bag to the affected area following the procedure. However, you should only do it for 10 minutes at a time. If you leave it in for too long, it might cause tissue damage.
Rest for an entire day after the procedure, and don’t involve yourself in strenuous activity.
Don’t spit or rinse and avoid using a straw 24 hours after the surgery to prevent the blood clot from dislodging
Avoid smoking
Sleep with your head propped up against the pillows as lying down flat would slow down healing
Brush and floss your teeth to prevent infection in the extraction
Eat soft food such as pudding or yogurt a day after the extraction.

How to Manage Pain

You’ll experience some pain or soreness right after your extraction. You might also experience swelling in your face. Taking painkillers will give you relief. However, if the pain doesn’t subside a couple of days after the procedure, you should call your dentist to rule out an infection.

Last Words

If you’re in Frisco and looking for dental services, we’re here to help. We accept most insurances, and our mission is to provide professional and efficient dental services using the latest technology. If you want to make an appointment, contact us, and we'll get back to you.