Having a tooth extracted from your mouth can be a scary experience, that often comes with pain after the extraction and careful recovery. Learning about the process of tooth extraction and what to do in specific situations can bring you peace of mind and save you from having extreme dental problems. Sunset Dental helps our patients know what methods are available and how we extract their teeth before we even begin.
What Does Extraction Entail?
Depending on the situation, you may have time to prepare for your tooth extraction. If you do, your dentist should give you some information about what will occur, how long you will be in the chair, and if you will need to be put under anesthesia while the tooth is removed. Tooth extraction doesn’t always require you to be asleep while teeth are removed out, but if you experience anxiety and are worried about how you will react to the procedure, you can request anesthesia.
Those who are having wisdom teeth removed or those who need anesthesia usually go through an oral surgeon, but your dentist can also remove teeth. If your teeth are impacted, below the surface, or broken into multiple pieces, it will be a more difficult procedure. Impacted teeth require the dentist to cut into your gums in order to reach the tooth, once they located the tooth, forceps will grasp the tooth and rock back and forth until the ligaments detach.
Sedation And Numbing Methods
Tooth extraction can be painful and hard for people to deal with while away. Dentists and oral surgeons can give patients sedation and numbing medication in order to curb the pain until after the procedure. Some of the most common medications used during tooth extractions include:
- Nitrous oxide- this is better known as laughing gas that is inhaled through a mask or nosepiece. This is light-level sedation that does not truly put you to sleep but makes patients feel lighter and relaxed. Using this sedation method means that you can drive yourself home after the appointment.
- Oral conscious sedation- usually given by mouth, most likely in pill form, about an hour before your procedure begins. Common medications included diazepam, midazolam, triazolam, and lorazepam. Dosages are adjusted for your needs but usually make it hard for you to drive afterward.
- Intravenous (IV) sedation- is the method usually recommended for those with dental anxiety or those who need a long procedure. Sedative and pain medications are given through an IV directly into your bloodstream. This is the highest level of sedation given in a dental office and will require you to have someone else drive you home.
- General anesthesia- this method can only be given in a hospital setting and is used for complex procedures such as jaw surgery, reconstruction surgery, or highly impacted or infected wisdom teeth.
When Do I Need To Remove My Wisdom Teeth?
Some adults never get wisdom teeth, and others get them at many different times. Dentists usually recommend getting your wisdom teeth out once they have emerged from your gums because this makes it easier to remove them.
If your dentist determines that you have room in your mouth for the wisdom teeth to comfortably sit, they may not need to take them out. If they are growing sideways (impacted), or are crowding your other teeth and causing problems with your jaw, it is best to get them removed.
The American Dental Association recommends that if you begin to experience pain, repeated infections, gum disease, tooth decay, or damage to nearby teeth, wisdom teeth should be extracted.
What To Do If I Knocked A Tooth Out?
If your tooth has been knocked out and it is a permanent tooth, call your dentist immediately. The tooth will need to be replaced and the hole may need to be treated as well. If a child has knocked out a tooth that is not an adult tooth, you may not need to visit the dentist unless the child losses a lot of blood and reports pain.
Knocked-out teeth can be painful since your gums are not prepared for the tooth to be removed. Sometimes a tooth can be broken or only partially knocked out and the dentist will need to remove the rest of the tooth from its socket.
Does The Missing Tooth Need To Be Replaced?
If dentists remove a permanent adult tooth, the space will need to be filled in order to avoid shifting in your other teeth, bone decay, and other problems. Some options for replacing the tooth may be dental implants, partial dentures, or bridges. Your dentist can help you determine what options are available and which would be best for you.
Not only does tooth replacement save you from bone decay and losing other teeth, but it also makes smiling and eating much easier after the loss of your tooth.
Other Teeth Extraction
Tooth extraction may be necessary for those with cavities and decaying teeth, a fractured tooth, crowded teeth, severe gum disease, removing stubborn baby teeth, or other dental injuries. The sedation and preparation for any tooth extraction are the same and can be different for each patient. If you are worried about tooth extraction, talk to your dentist about what will happen and how they can help you feel more comfortable.