At Kissing Camels Family Dentistry, we understand the importance of preserving your natural teeth. We do our best to avoid tooth extractions whenever possible in favor of more conservative treatments. However, sometimes a tooth extraction is necessary and unavoidable. Here’s what you need to know about when a tooth extraction may be needed and what to expect from the procedure.
Reasons for a Tooth Extraction Procedure
A tooth may need to be extracted for a few different reasons. In some cases, an extraction may be necessary if the affected tooth has been severely damaged by trauma or decay that cannot be repaired with a filling or other restorative treatment. Additionally, if there is not enough room in your mouth for all of your teeth due to overcrowding, one or more teeth may need to be removed in order for orthodontic treatment to be successful. Finally, an extraction may also be recommended if you suffer from an advanced periodontal disease that has caused significant bone loss around one or more teeth.
The Tooth Extraction Procedure
If it is determined that an extraction is necessary, our team will use local anesthesia to ensure that you are comfortable during the procedure. After the area has been numbed, we will gently loosen the affected tooth before carefully removing it from its socket. The entire procedure usually takes less than an hour and should not cause too much discomfort afterward as long as you follow our post-operative instructions closely.
Aftercare Instructions
Once your procedure has been completed and the area has been cleaned and sutured (if necessary), it’s important that you follow any aftercare instructions provided by our team closely in order to allow adequate time for healing and reduce your risk of infection or other complications such as dry socket syndrome. This typically includes avoiding drinking through straws and eating hard/chewy foods until your mouth has fully healed—both of which can dislodge blood clots that are essential for healing and prevent bacteria from entering the wound site.
Contact Us Today!
At Kissing Camels Family Dentistry in Colorado Springs, CO, we understand how important it is to preserve your natural teeth whenever possible—which is why we always strive to provide more conservative treatments first before considering an extraction procedure as a last resort option. However, sometimes an extraction may become necessary due to severe damage or overcrowding among other reasons—in which case our team will make sure you’re comfortable throughout every step of the process while providing aftercare instructions so that you have plenty of time to heal properly afterwards! If you have any questions about when a tooth extraction might be necessary for you or would like additional information about this procedure please don’t hesitate to give us a call today!