At Oneco Dental Care, Dr. Peter Gangi and his staff are dedicated to preserving your smile. We want to make sure that you have a full set of healthy teeth. But from time to time, occasions arise that make an extraction necessary. Such instances include tooth-crowding, in which there are too many teeth in a person’s mouth; the need to accommodate orthodontic work; to address wisdom teeth problems or to remove a tooth that has been severely damaged by tooth decay or by a trauma to the mouth.
Removing wisdom teeth often requires surgery. An extraction that does not require surgery is called a simple extraction, and it is a straightforward process. In a simple extraction, the dentist will loosen a tooth with a tool called an elevator. After the tooth has been loosened, he will remove it with a pair of forceps, and perhaps close the socket with a single stitch. The dentist may schedule you for a follow-up appointment to see how the socket is healing, and to discuss options for replacing the tooth.
During your recovery, you should eat cool, soft foods if you feel hungry, and keep your food on the side of your mouth opposite the extraction site. If you want to brush your other teeth, that will be fine, but for the first 48 hours, you should rinse the extraction area with a saltwater or antiseptic solution. Tobacco use will slow your healing process and smoking, or using a straw could create enough suction to rupture or dislodge the blood clot that has formed in the socket. That blood clot is protecting the exposed jawbone and nerve in that socket, and if is removed, you will be vulnerable to infection and probably in a great deal of pain. This is a condition known as dry socket, and your dentist can treat you for it.
If you are suffering from a toothache, don’t wait until the pain becomes unbearable. You can make an appointment with our office by calling 941-751-4900.
