With every patient we see at Little Rock Family Dental Care, our goal is to preserve their natural teeth for life. Unfortunately, this ideal isn’t possible in situations involving extensive decay or dental trauma. If a tooth needs to go, our team is more than ready to take care of it and ensure the entire process is smooth and stress-free. If you or your child have a problem tooth that needs to be looked at, give us a call today to get the care you need.
Tooth extraction isn’t something to take lightly. After all, natural teeth are your best tools for biting, chewing, and smiling. Given those facts, we usually suggest restorative procedures like root canal therapy or a dental crown instead.
Still, there are times when an extraction is necessary to preserve your oral health. In particular, our office may suggest it if you suffer one (or more) of the following:
After the initial consultation, our office will decide how to extract your tooth. Depending on your situation, we’ll perform either a simple extraction or a surgical one.
If the tooth is visible, a simple extraction will be used. After numbing your mouth, this method removes your tooth with a special pair of forceps. The dentist will use that tool to rock your chomper back and forth until it naturally separates from your gum tissue.
A surgical extraction, meanwhile, is employed when the tooth hasn’t fully erupted. In that scenario, a dentist will make an incision in the gums to gain better access. Once that’s done, they’ll divide and remove the tooth in sections to minimize bone loss. The dentist will then conclude the extraction by sewing up the incision.
Regardless of the method, a dentist often follows up extraction with tooth replacement options. That way, you can prevent the long-term effects of tooth loss.
To ensure you recover well from the extraction, we’ll provide you with a detailed list of post-op instructions. That said, some good aftercare tips you should consider include:
By following the advice above, your mouth will recover in no time. At that point, you should then give serious thought to replacing the missing tooth (or teeth). Doing so will keep surrounding teeth from tilting, restore more of your bite force, and more.