We Make Tooth Extractions Easy on Our Patients

Wondering what to expect from your upcoming tooth extraction? That’s exactly what we’re here to explain. Getting a tooth pulled as an adult is a bit different than being 11 and needing a couple teeth pulled so the dentist could get your braces properly placed. The roots of adult teeth are fully-formed and the teeth are all quite set in their places. It’s why you don’t need those braces anymore, but it’s also why a tooth extraction is a different experience. Especially because, if your dentist is recommending you have a tooth pulled as an adult, the reason for it is often unpleasant.

Our dentists may have recommended your tooth extracted for one of several reasons; we perform tooth extractions here every day – it’s simple, easy, and we make it pain-free for our patients. How? A patient-centered approach on friendly, gentle dentistry. And, of course, the right anesthesia.

Why Adult Teeth Need Extracted Sometimes

Those several reasons our dentists might recommend an adult tooth extraction? Let’s take a look:

• Tooth decay
• Tooth is cracked
• Tooth is broken inside of the gum line
• Infection in the gums, teeth or jaw
• Crowding as teeth shift
• Lack of support due to gum disease
• Making room for adult braces
• Extracting teeth then replacing to correct bite misalignment

There are reasons you might have any of these issues that go beyond failing to practice proper dental care and get professional dental cleanings throughout your life. For instance, an accident involving your face can compromise teeth. As well, cancer patients are more susceptible to tooth infections and decay, and patients with diabetes or heart problems are much more susceptible to developing periodontitis. As adults, getting teeth extracted is just as much about mitigation as it is about prevention.

How to Properly Prepare for Your Tooth Extraction

One of the most important things in any kind of dental procedure that’s invasive (read: deals with inner teeth, inside the gums, or alters the jaw bone) is to clearly communicate with your doctor about your overall health. Why? Anesthesia. Different types of anesthesia can be dangerous to certain people, depending on their physical health and lifestyle choices.

So, when you’ve been told by your dentist you need a tooth pulled and have that appointment set, here’s what you should do leading up to the extraction appointment:

• Discuss your medical history with your dentist, including any heart issues, immune system problems, diabetes, cancer, etc.
• Give your dentist a comprehensive list of any medications you take, both prescription and OTC kinds. Some medications can hurt your ability to heal after having your tooth pulled, others will affect what type of antibiotic we prescribe after, and some can affect what type of anesthesia is or isn’t safe for you.
• Call our office if you feel sick the days leading up to the tooth extraction. It’s best not to perform any procedures on someone whose immune system is already working to fight off another issue. We may need to reschedule your appointment.
• Call our office if you’ve had nausea or vomiting the day before your appointment. We’ll need to reschedule for your safety. Should you vomit again, you don’t want stomach acid and bile in your mouth with a freshly-pulled tooth socket that’s trying to heal; it’s too risky.
• Don’t smoke. Before; after; all the time. Just don’t. We can almost guarantee you’ll need more teeth pulled in the future if you do, and by that time, that might be the least of your health worries. Long-term smoking is Russian roulette for your oral health and whole body health, too.
• Make sure you have a friend or family member come with you to the extraction appointment so you have someone to drive you home, especially if you’re having a surgical tooth removal.
• If you know you’ll be receiving more than just local anesthesia, we usually recommend no eating or drinking for at least 8-12 hours before the procedure.

The Tooth Extraction Process at Our Cincinnati Office

Let’s run you through the process of extracting a tooth. There are two types of tooth extractions: simple and surgical. Your dentist will have told you at your consultation which one they’ll use to take your tooth out.

Simple Tooth Extractions: This method of extracting a tooth is as simple as you’d think it is. You’ll be given some local anesthesia. During the procedure, you’ll feel no pain, but you might feel a weird pressure as the dentist removes the tooth. The dentist uses a small tool to kind of pry the tooth up to loosen the roots, and then uses forceps to complete the extraction of the tooth. Go to a local family dentist; by the time the anesthesia wears off, you can already be home and on the couch with an ice pack on your face.

Surgical Tooth Extractions: Surgical tooth extractions are for when the tooth is under the gum line, and/or when the dentist needs to get to the bone around the tooth, in case of advanced infections. The oral surgeon or family dentist (both can perform this procedure) will make an incision into the gums to reveal the tooth. They’ll remove it once enough of the tooth is exposed. In some cases, they may need to remove a bit of bone around the tooth to ensure it is properly extracted and there’s no infection left. For this type of tooth extraction, you get local anesthesia and IV anesthesia, so you’ll be totally numb and medically relaxed.

What makes our dentists top in the area is their commitment to giving our patients the best dental care in a way that makes the experience of getting teeth pulled, having a root canal, getting dental implants and crowns – all those iffy, unpleasant dental procedures – as painless as possible. Patient experience is our focus: gentle family dentistry that minimizes discomfort and anxiety.

Tooth Extraction Aftercare is Integral to Healing

Proper aftercare for a pulled tooth is key to minimizing recovery time as well as discomfort during the healing process. The key is to be mindful of avoiding the site of the extracted tooth while remaining mindful of keeping your mouth clean. Here’s some quick Dos and Don’ts for ensuring your removed tooth doesn’t cause you problems after your appointment:

Do:

• Keep your head above your heart for the first day.
• Change your gauze regularly – before it gets completely soaked through.
• Rest for at least a couple days.
• Stay hydrated.

Don’t:

• Drink anything through a straw.
• Directly brush the site of the tooth extraction.
• Smoke.
• Exercise or do anything to raise your blood pressure in the first 2-3 days.

Your body starts trying to protect the exposed bone in the empty socket where your tooth was pulled immediately after the tooth is extracted. Your mouth knows that exposed bone in the mouth = infection, so it forms a clot that covers the empty socket. The goal is for that clot to fully form so the socket is protected while it heals. If you do things that jeopardize that process, you can dislodge the clot and end up with dry socket or another oral infection.

A Local Family Dentist who Performs Tooth Extractions for Patients of All Ages

Whether it’s because of crowding, tooth decay, gum disease, or an accident, you need a family dentist you can trust to perform your tooth extraction and subsequent dental care for the site of the extracted tooth. You want a local dentist who’s close to home and has room in their schedule for emergency dental appointments if you need. Better yet, they should focus on gentle dentistry – an ideal mix of compassion and skill.

Our family dentistry practice is conveniently located off I-275 and SR40 just North of Cincinnati, near the communities of Blue Ash, High Point, Evendale, and Sharonville. We’re Cincinnati’s premiere family dental practice, with skilled dentists who perform family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and emergency dental services.

And our staff live and work in these local communities, so they know how important it is that a Cincinnati dental practice offers convenient morning and evening hours. People have to work, after all; you can’t always have a tooth pulled at 9am and take the rest of the day to lie down. That’s why our office offers hours outside that 9-to-5 window: you’ve already got a toothache; you don’t need the headache of coordinating an appointment within a busy schedule, too.

If you have a toothache and think you might need a dental treatment and/or a tooth extraction, give our office a call. Our staff is friendly and focused on getting you the gentle, effective dental care you need as soon as you need it.