Alleviate Your Pain & Restore Your Oral Health
While many people dread the thought of a tooth extraction, the truth is, it’s necessary to restore your oral health. We’ll make every effort to save your tooth, but if it’s suffered severe damage or infection, we may need to extract it to prevent further damage and alleviate your pain.
Tooth loss is probably more common than you think. In fact, most adults will lose seven teeth by the age of 64. Many patients don’t realize that suffering through a severe toothache or infection is typically more painful and detrimental to your health than a tooth extraction.
Once we complete the extraction, Dr. Hausten may recommend a dental implant or a dental bridge depending on your needs and goals.
7 Common Reasons for a Tooth Extraction
There are various reasons you may need a tooth extraction, including:
- Tooth decay
- Gum disease
- Overcrowded teeth
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- Broken tooth
- Failure of previous treatments
- Facial trauma
There are also several risk factors associated with tooth extractions such as your age, being male, and smoking. It’s important to remember that a tooth extraction is preventable in some cases.
There are a variety of ways we can restore your oral health before an extraction is necessary. For example, if you have gum disease, we can perform a deep cleaning, or if you suffer from tooth decay, Dr. Hausten may recommend a filling, dental crown, or root canal therapy.
In one study, 70 percent of patients who had a tooth extraction waited more than a year between two medical examinations. It’s crucial that you visit our Wheaton office for biannual exams, so Dr. Hausten can evaluate your oral health and determine if you would benefit from any treatments, so we can keep your smile healthy, beautiful, and complete.
Our Smooth & Simple Tooth Extraction Procedure
Prior to the procedure, Dr. Hausten will numb your gums and the surrounding area to ensure you won’t feel a thing. Then, she’ll loosen the tooth’s ligaments and extract the tooth. Dr. Hausten will remove any infection and clean the area. Depending on your procedure, stitches may be required.
Aftercare Following a Tooth Extraction
After your tooth removal, caring for the surgical site is crucial because you’re more likely to experience complications such as infections or dry sockets early-on. In addition to following any guidelines provided by Dr. Hausten, you’ll want to:
- Take pain medication as prescribed
- Rest for at least one day following your extraction
- Avoid spitting or rinsing your mouth for 24 hours
- Avoid tobacco products and using a straw for 72 hours
- Refrain from touching the surgical site
- Eat soft, cool foods like lukewarm soup, yogurt, and applesauce
- After 24 hours, rinse with a warm saline solution
Complications Following a Tooth Extraction
Infections
Your surgical site is vulnerable during the healing process, so it’s important to continue your oral hygiene routine to prevent the risk of an infection. If you experience any green or yellow pus in the area, have a fever, or the site becomes warm to touch, contact our Wheaton office immediately, and we’ll get you an appointment at your earliest convenience.
Dry Socket
After your tooth is extracted, a blood clot will form in the socket to protect it. If this blood clot is dislodged, the socket will be compromised. Dry sockets tend to be very painful and prolong the healing process, which is why you should contact our office if this happens. Dr. Hausten will examine the surgical site and determine the best course of action.
Frequently Asked Questions
You won’t experience any pain during the procedure because we use a local anesthetic to numb the area. Some patients report feeling a slight pressure, but not pain. After your procedure, you’ll be given aftercare instructions to ensure you care for the surgical site properly. You may feel some discomfort while you recover from your surgery. We recommend taking pain medication as recommended and applying ice to help with any discomfort or swelling.
We usually recommend taking 48 to 72 hours after your surgery to relax and recover. The first few days are crucial to the healing process because you’re more prone to infections during this time, so you’ll want to focus on healing your extraction site.
You’ll be able to return to work, school, and other daily activities soon after your extraction. After the first few days, you can return to normal physical activities as long as you don’t notice any complications.
You can eat after your extraction, but make sure you stick to soft and mild foods for the first few days. Crunchy, spicy, or very hot foods may irritate your surgical site and lead to infections or complications.
Some safe foods you can eat for the first few days after your extraction include yogurt, pudding, Jell-O, oatmeal, and mashed potatoes. As long as the food isn’t too hot and is easy to chew, it should be fine. As you heal, you should be able to start adding more foods back into your diet.
Tooth extractions take about 20 to 40 minutes per tooth. Following the procedure, the healing period typically takes 7 to 10 days. If you’ve had multiple tooth extractions, or experience any complications, it may take longer to heal.
Prior to receiving your restoration, such as a dental implant, bridge, or denture, you’ll want to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the swelling to completely diminish so that you can ensure a good fit on your restoration.
Put an End to Your Pain With an Extraction
If you need a tooth extraction, don’t delay the procedure. Contact our office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Hausten right away by calling (630) 653-3440. We’ll alleviate your pain and restore your oral health so you can begin the healing process.
