Dental extraction is a common procedure in dental practice that can be considered routine dental surgery, is the most common in oral surgical practice and is often routine in dental offices. Due to the frequency with which they are performed, it could be said that at least five out of ten people have a dental extraction in their medical history.
There are many reasons that could lead a person to have this type of surgery, from cavities, dental growth problems, blunt injuries and malformations. Surgical extraction goes hand in hand with oral health and dental esthetics; therefore, it is a great tool for personal wellness and good looks.
It all starts with the type of condition that the tooth may have, there are many of them that lead to extraction because the dentist may consider the tooth unsalvageable as in the case of advanced decay, broken teeth due to an accident or gum disease. Although dental work avoids the loss of teeth as much as possible, in some cases there is no alternative but to proceed with extraction.
Simple Extraction:
Is an outpatient surgery that consists of removing the tooth cleanly with forceps, applying local anesthesia directly to the gum so that no pain is felt. In some cases the condition of the tooth requires a small incision in the gum so that you can have better access to the tooth. Finally, the dentist proceeds to clean the tooth socket to avoid contamination and for it to heal in a healthy way.
Root extraction:
Is applied when the crown of the tooth suffers severe damage, in these cases it is imperative to make an incision in the gum as the root is firmly attached to it. After the procedure, sutures are used to achieve a better recovery.
Extraction of teeth included:
It applies to those pieces that are not yet present in the gums, such as wisdom teeth or a dental element that compromises the symmetry of the mouth if it does not have enough space to allow them without affecting the rest of the teeth.
In order to perform an extraction, it is highly recommended that some check-ups be done beforehand to verify that the patient’s health is in optimal conditions. To begin with, an oral tomography is required to recognize the magnitude of the damage.
It is also common that the dentist, after the checkup and the study of the problem, proposes a treatment with antibiotics a few days before the date established for the extraction, since this will guarantee that the body is free of infections that can be complicated after the intervention, an immune system in optimal conditions is key for the process.
It is imperative that trained personnel with proper accreditation perform this type of interventions and studies, since it is a very sensitive and important area and there is a risk of malpractice where the health and integrity of the patient can be compromised, it should not be taken lightly just because it is a relatively simple surgery.
In case the damage is excessive due to an accident, it is likely that the patient will require other types of subsequent surgeries to recover the oral or facial normality.
If the patient requires and requests it, the gum can be prepared to place a dental prosthesis to replace the problematic tooth; this will not only avoid discomfort but also reduce the risk of malformations in case the extracted piece causes the displacement of the other elements in the gum.
On the other hand, if the surgery required an incision, it is possible that with the continuous movement or carelessness of the patient, the wound will open and show constant bleeding, in this case call your dentist as it may require suturing or different treatment and place sterile gauze on the site to contain the bleeding in the meantime.
The intake of antibiotics after surgery for at least 4 days is normally prescribed by the specialist to avoid infections of any kind, in case of ignoring this indication, it is recommended total rest for 3 days and the application of cold compresses, as well as the intake of food and liquids also cold as this helps greatly to relieve discomfort and reduce swelling.
As any intervention, it is possible to suffer some side effects that will manifest after extraction; therefore, it is suggested to take into account the following tips for the care of the oral cavity after the operation:
• Avoid heat: this includes drinks and food.
• Apply cold compresses when necessary. Ice cream is a great help in this case but should be partially avoided those made with milk as it can help to proliferate mostly harmful bacteria.
• Take prescribed painkillers and antibiotics to prevent infections.
• Do not rinse your mouth until 2 days after the procedure since the pressure exerted by the movement may cause the detachment of the healing clot.
• Brush and floss to maintain hygiene but be careful with the affected area, if possible, avoid brushing in place until the third day or brush very gently with a soft bristle brush.
• Sleep with the head elevated to promote good blood circulation and avoid pressure on the site.
• Rest for at least two days.
• Do not lift weight or exert pressure of any kind.
• Eat mostly soft or liquid foods, such as pureed foods, creams and soups at room temperature.
• Visit your dentist the following month to check the area and healing.
Adequate rest and a proper diet will facilitate recovery. It usually takes a week to be completely well if the specialist’s recommendations and advice have been followed.
Not at all, during this process anesthesia is applied to the affected area, therefore no discomfort is felt, even the effect lasts for at least 3 hours which allows you to go home with peace of mind and rest without problems.
If it is an adult or permanent tooth, it is impossible for it to regenerate, therefore it is very common to use dental prosthesis to replace the lost one and that the mouth is not affected by the absence of the same. However, milk teeth do regenerate since human beings molt all their teeth once in the development stage.
There are ranges of conditions that can affect the integrity of the surgical work, such as dry socket, dental abscesses caused by infections of the treated area, formation of clots that are not benign for the recovery, etc. In these situations, it is recommended to visit the dentist immediately to prevent this from worsening and compromising your health.
The full recovery of the gum will be between 3 or 4 weeks, at this point the tissue will have healed completely, the swelling will have gone down and the pain will be completely gone. In the case of sutured gums, you should go to the dentist around the second week so that the stitches can be removed, in this way you can continue with the recovery without problems, taking into account the recommendations and care tips.
Yes, after recovery you can chew normally without any problem as long as you take into account the time you have been recovered since eating a very fibrous or hard food could hurt a little. With time, the treated area develops a certain hardness and insensitivity which makes it possible to chew normally without being affected in any way.
This will depend on the tooth in question, if it is the wisdom teeth or wisdom teeth there is no danger of this happening, nor if they are the last ones either, but the rest of the teeth can be problematic since the vacuum does affect the natural alignment, therefore it is advisable to insert an implant automatically so that the teeth are not in danger of deformation. Although not all people suffer from shifted teeth if front teeth are subtracted, in terms of esthetics, it causes discomfort to the patient.
Doubts of this type are completely natural at the time of applying this type of treatment because it is very common to feel terrified, confused and doubtful when it comes to a place as important as the mouth; however there is nothing to fear, thanks to the technologies that are currently available and the tireless studies about the area we can go with peace of mind to our office of confidence and practice the necessary procedures without any problem, these mostly completely painless.
The care of the mouth is considered extremely important since it is one of the most important parts of the human body, its treatment and health depends on each individual as well as its welfare depends on each dentist when it is entrusted to him, it is a mutual responsibility.
The secret to good oral hygiene is to follow the recommendations we hear every day since we were little; brush your teeth after every meal, use dental rinse and floss frequently and visit your trusted dentist whenever you have the opportunity.
