Good oral hygiene should always be practiced, since the loss of a single tooth can have major impact upon your oral health and appearance. Although our Jenison dentists will use every measure to prevent tooth loss, it is still sometimes necessary to extract a tooth.
A tooth may need to be extracted in the case of:
- Severe decay
- Advanced periodontal disease
- Infection or abscess
- Orthodontic correction
- Mal-positioned teeth
- Fractured teeth or roots
- Impacted teeth
After careful examination and treatment, Georgetown Dental Professionals’s extraction dentist may advise you to have a tooth extracted. Before a tooth is removed, your Jenison dentist will take an x-ray in order to understand the shape and position of the tooth and surrounding bone. Based on the degree of difficulty, we may refer you to a specialist called an oral surgeon.
For a simple extraction, we will first apply a local anesthetic to prevent pain and discomfort. The tooth will be loosened with a tool called an elevator and then removed with dental forceps. Once the procedure is complete, the area may be closed with one or two stitches.
It is critical to keep the extraction area clean to prevent infection. We will provide you with dry, sterile gauze to bite down on for 30-45 minutes to limit bleeding while clotting takes place. For the next 24 hours, you shouldn't smoke, rinse your mouth vigorously or brush the teeth directly next to the extraction site.
A certain amount of pain and discomfort is to be expected following an extraction, which can be minimized with a painkiller and ice packs applied to the face for 15 minutes at a time. After a routine extraction, discomfort should lessen within three days to two weeks. If you experience prolonged or severe pain, swelling, bleeding or fever, contact us immediately.
To learn more about extractions performed by Jenison dentists Susan Deters DDS and Cristin Zuiderveen DDS or to request an appointment, please contact our office or call us directly at 616.457.9191.