How Tooth Extraction Keeps Your Smile Healthy

There is nothing like a beautiful smile, especially one with all natural teeth! At Brent Bradford, DDS, we always try to save your natural teeth because of the strength and beauty they lend to your smile. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. In some cases, we may need to perform a tooth extraction to save your surrounding teeth and keep your smile healthy. If one or more of your teeth suffer intense decay or damage, extracting them is often the best course of action.

While tooth extraction is sometimes necessary, it is always the last resort. This is why taking care of your teeth, practicing good dental hygiene, and visiting your dentist for routine checkups is so important. If you believe you may require a tooth extraction, visit Brent Bradford, DDS, for quality and compassionate care that can save your smile.

Who May Need a Tooth Extraction?

Those in need of a tooth extraction are often experiencing dental pain or need to stop the spread of infection in their mouth. While some interventions like root canal therapy or gum disease treatment can prevent pain and the spread of infection, sometimes an extraction becomes the only solution. People who may benefit from the removal of a tooth are those who suffer:

• Advanced tooth decay: If your tooth is infected and causing pain, it may need removal. We perform dental extractions on decaying teeth regularly, preventing the infection from spreading.

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  Severe dental trauma: Unfortunately, we often can’t save teeth that suffer large fractures that split the tooth’s structure. To protect your smile and keep it functional, we may have to remove the broken tooth.

• Impacted teeth: Impacted teeth are teeth that don’t fully emerge from your gums. This can be dangerous for your smile, as bacteria can enter partially exposed gums, causing infection. While it may be a more complicated procedure than a simple extraction, these teeth usually need to come out.
• Late-stage periodontitis: Gum disease—or periodontitis—is detrimental to your dental health in the later stages. As the infection spreads and erodes your gums and bone, you risk losing your teeth. To prevent this level of infection from spreading from one tooth to the next, we may need to remove the decaying tooth.

The Tooth Extraction Process

In general, there are two forms of tooth extraction.

Simple Extraction

A simple extraction is really as simple as it sounds! Teeth that need to be removed but are easily accessible can be extracted straightforwardly.

After applying a local anesthetic to the surrounding area, we use special dental tools to remove the tooth carefully. Gently, we will pull the tooth out of its pocket, usually in one piece. If need be, we can remove the tooth in smaller sections.

This gentle procedure facilitates faster healing, allowing you to return to normal activities in 48-72 hours. While some discomfort or pain post-procedure is normal, it is easily managed with over-the-counter medication. In a couple of weeks, your jawbone should have healed completely!

Surgical Extraction

When a tooth is impacted or more difficult to access, we may need to perform a surgical extraction.

This procedure involves making an incision in your gums, carefully revealing the tooth underneath. In some cases, we can then pull the tooth right out in one piece. Other times, we must break the tooth into sections, removing one at a time. This may not only take longer than a simple extraction, but it also results in a slower healing time. After a surgical extraction, swelling and bruising of the jaw is normal. Over-the-counter medication can help you manage the pain, but your jawbone may take longer to heal completely.

Be sure to listen to all post-operation advice we provide, as following care instructions is crucial to healing after a surgical extraction.

Post-Extraction Next Steps

After an extraction, we will likely recommend you replace your missing tooth or teeth as soon as possible.

Missing teeth for long periods of time results in bone resorption, or the loss of mass and volume in the jawbone. Without the stimulation from your natural teeth, your jawbone will shrink, drastically changing the shape of your face over time.

Unfortunately, common tooth replacement options like traditional bridges or dentures can’t prevent bone resorption, as they don’t replace the root of your tooth, which is responsible for bone stimulation. Thankfully, at Brent Bradford, DDS, we offer a solution to tooth loss that does stimulate the bone while replacing teeth!

Mini dental implants are titanium posts we place into the jawbone to support crowns, bridges, or dentures. Amazingly, these implants provide an incredibly secure foundation for your restorations while also acting as artificial tooth roots! To maintain the health of your jawbone and complete your smile, we recommend mini dental implant supported tooth replacement options for patients like you.

Keep Your Smile Healthy at Brent Bradford, DDS!

While your natural teeth are the best teeth to have, they aren’t always an option. When a natural tooth is causing you more harm than good, it may be time for a tooth extraction. At Brent Bradford, DDS, we can extract your damaged or decaying teeth with careful, patient-centered solutions. Post-extraction, we also provide innovative replacements to keep your smile beautiful and healthy.

Book an appointment today at Brent Bradford, DDS, to learn if you would benefit from a dental extraction.

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