Oral surgery is often crucial for keeping your smile healthy and beautiful. In today’s blog, your Mansfield, TX, dentists will take a look at a common oral surgical procedure: dental extraction. Let’s talk about when your smile benefits from having a tooth removed, and what steps we take to facilitate a complication-free healing process.

The Extraction and Healing Process

A dental extraction involves removing the tooth completely from your smile, roots and all. So, we will administer a local anesthetic near the tooth we need to remove. Afterward, we will provide sedation. Once you enter a calm and relaxed state, we will gently remove the tooth from your jaw. With the steps we have taken, this will be a comfortable process that only takes a few minutes. We then suture the area closed. A friend or family member can drive you home, as you will likely still be groggy as a result of the sedation.

At home, you will begin taking any antibiotics or pain relievers that have been prescribed. Try to avoid prodding the area with your tongue, don’t use a straw, and for the first couple of days, consume soft foods like soup. You can usually return to your normal daily routine after a day or two. We will schedule a follow-up visit to monitor the healing process and remove your sutures. With our detailed instructions, you can avoid complications during the healing process.

When Do We Prescribe Treatment?

If you sustain serious damage, too much to be adequately addressed with a crown, then we may suggest removing the tooth completely. If you have a tooth loosened by gum disease or suffering from severe infection, again we may remove it, especially if you have an infection that could spread to surrounding teeth and the jawbone. If you have major misalignment, then removing a tooth could be crucial for providing room to reposition the others.

The most common reason to remove a tooth is to address wisdom teeth. These four additional molars typically arrive in our late teens and early 20s, and could lead to a painful partial eruption known as impaction, as well as misalignment, infection, or damaged teeth. By extracting them before they erupt, we protect your smile from these complications.

Tooth Replacement

While wisdom teeth obviously will not need to be replaced, what if you lose a tooth to damage, infection, or gum disease? If this occurs, there is now a gap in your smile that could impact the beauty and overall health of your smile. To address this, we may suggest replacing the missing tooth and filling the gap in your smile, possibly with a dental bridge, partial denture, or dental implant.

Do You Need to Schedule a Visit?

Our team can provide comfortable oral surgery with precision and accuracy, helping you enjoy a healthy and beautiful smile. If you would like to schedule a consultation, then call Mansfield Dental Associates at 817-473-6227.