Extractions in Arlington Heights are procedures done when a tooth is too badly diseased or damaged to be salvaged. Teeth may also be extracted if they are impacted or the patient is undergoing orthodontic treatment.
What
Does an Extraction Involve?
The
dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the area and keep the
patient comfortable. They will rock the tooth back and forth to make
the socket wider and thus make it easier to remove the tooth.
In
some cases, the tooth is curved or is very firmly attached to its
socket. In this situation, the dentist will perform a procedure
called sectioning in which they cut the tooth into pieces and remove
it a piece at a time.
What
Happens After the Extraction?
The
healing process won’t begin until a blood clot forms and stops the
bleeding. The patient should thus staunch the blood flow by biting
down on a gauze pad for 30 to 45 minutes. If they are still bleeding,
they should bite down on a fresh gauze pad for at least half an hour.
The patient should be very careful to not dislodge the blood
clot after it forms. They should, therefore, avoid using straws,
smoking, drinking alcohol, and brushing around the extraction site
for three days. They should take pain medications and use ice packs
to keep the swelling down.
What
Is an Impacted Tooth?
An
impacted tooth is one that either does not emerge for some reason or
one that can’t emerge because it does not have room or is in the
wrong position. Wisdom teeth are very likely to be impacted, so many
patients with impacted teeth are teenagers or young adults.
Children
can also develop impacted teeth if something like a baby tooth or
cyst blocks a permanent tooth from emerging.
Contact Schumer
Family Dental Care
to learn more about extractions in Arlington Heights.
