When a tooth sustains an injury or you have wisdom teeth poised to erupt, then you may need them removed to protect your smile from major complications. Fortunately, our team can offer a safe and gentle tooth extraction. In today’s blog, your Santa Rosa , CA, oral surgeons look at the process of extracting teeth and preserving your smile.
When You Need a Tooth Removed
Sometimes, an oral health concern arises that will spread to other teeth or the jawbone itself unless addressed. Taking out the tooth could prevent more severe oral health complications, and help patients avoid major discomfort too. In these situations, you may benefit from a tooth extraction. You could be referred to our office by your general dentist or orthodontist, or you could give us a call to schedule a consultation and see if you have a tooth that needs removal to safeguard your smile. Our team has experience with oral surgery, and providing comfortable care with precision and accuracy, with the esthetics of your smile always at the forefront. In fact, our surgeons are also members of the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Trauma Team.
Planning the Procedure
To begin, we need to plan the procedure in detail. Our team will gather digital x-rays and CBCT images of your smile, so we can monitor the tooth in question and plan the procedure to avoid blood vessels, nerve tissues, and sinus cavities. We also administer a local anesthesia to the area being treated. With dental sedation, we offer a medication to help you enter a calm and relaxed state, with little to no memory of the procedure. The sedation option we choose will depend on your age, weight, and medical history. The procedure itself usually takes about 30 minutes, so we could offer a calm state with nitrous oxide, in which effects wear off once the treatment ends and you can drive yourself home! We also have deeper states of calm with oral and IV sedation, both options that offer a comfortable procedure for people with special needs, high anxiety levels, or other factors that require a deeper state of relaxation.
Addressing Wisdom Teeth
One of the most common reasons to start a tooth is to remove your third molars before they erupt. Also known as wisdom teeth, these arrive in our late teens or early 20s. For many people, their arrival could lead to misalignment, damaged or infected teeth, and a painful partial eruption known as impaction. But with a tooth extraction, we can remove them before they arrive. You then avoid any negative changes to the health and beauty of your smile, as well as issues with bite function. We could also recommend tooth extraction if a tooth is too damaged to be treated with a crown, or if decayed or infection are beyond treatment with a filling or root canal. We could take out teeth to make room for orthodontic treatment, remove the ones loosened by gum disease, or to improve bite imbalance and chewing function.
Recovery
Once we remove the teeth in question with a pair of forceps, we will suture the area closed. The sedation may take time to wear off, so a friend or family member should be available to bring you home. We will provide prescriptions for any necessary medications to aid in the healing process, as well as instructions for the healing process. For the first day or two, avoid activity and rest. Don’t use straws or poke the site with your tongue, eat soft foods, and be very gentle when you brush and floss. These actions help prevent the clot forming at the extraction site from being dislodged, ensuring a fast and effective healing process. We can remove sutures in a follow-up visit.
Tooth Replacement
While many tooth extractions don’t require the replacement of the teeth, if you lose one to injury or decay/infection, you may have an exposed gap in your smile. With the placement of dental implants, we can fill these gaps with new teeth that look and function like natural teeth, so you can smile with confidence and avoid the impact of missing teeth. If you have any questions about tooth extraction, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you enjoy your best possible smile this summer!
Talk To Your Santa Rosa, CA Oral Surgeon About Tooth Extraction
We would love to help you avoid the complications of wisdom tooth eruption. If you would like to learn more about how we remove compromised teeth, then contact your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons by calling (707)545-4625.
