Tooth Extraction

Tooth Extraction in Santa Monica CA

Many people fear to go to the dentist, while others simply don’t realize the importance of it. But the truth is, there are many advantages to visiting your dentist periodically. The most significant of which is that it will keep your teeth in excellent health. In addition, the dental facility will have modern equipment that is made to remove plaque and tartar which are not eliminated through regular tooth brushing. Not only can dental professionals do a much more extensive cleaning than what you can do by yourself, but they will also find out areas of the potential risk to prevent major dental issues.

Why would you need Tooth Extractions?
There are many reasons why it might be necessary to remove a tooth. Usually, extractions are done when a tooth has decayed and is causing pain and inflammation. Rotting teeth can be harmful to the overall health of one’s body, so it is important to rectify or eliminate the problem. Teeth are also often removed because they overcrowd each other. When wisdom teeth grow skew, they are usually removed to prevent other dental problems. In some instances, gum disease will result in the extraction of a tooth.

The tooth extraction process
As mentioned before, a tooth extraction procedure will require a general or local anesthetic to be administered. It is a simple surgery and can proceed from a minute up to an hour, depending on the number of teeth you need to be removed and how complex the problem is deemed. The dentist will use sterilized dental forceps and sometimes a dental drill during the surgery. On rare occasions, a small incision will be made.

Aftercare guidelines
After the procedure, your dentist should give you instructions on how to care for the extraction area to ensure a healthy recovery. You will be prescribed some light-medium pain medication, and you might also be required to take a course of antibiotics to avoid an infection. The wound might take a while to stop bleeding, if this happens, don’t panic. If the extraction continues to bleed for more than a day, however, inform your Dr for medical advice.

Try and keep the extraction area as clean and as dry as possible. After about 6 months, the hole will have completely closed up with gum tissue. If the extraction area continues to ache and swell, however, it might be infected, and you should seek immediate medical attention from your dentist.

It is important to practice proper oral care to avoid dental problems; a good toothbrush, toothpaste, and some dental floss can go a long way and are sure to aid in preventing nasty visits to the dentist. Never avoid visiting your dentist for too long however as regular check-ups could foresee potential problems and thus eradicate them before they occur. Perhaps making an appointment with your dentist right now is not such a bad idea.