3d rendered illustration of a tooth extraction
As part of our oral surgical procedures, our team can extract teeth. Removing teeth can often protect smiles from serious complications, including wisdom tooth impaction or the spread of infection. In today’s blog, your Houston, TX, dentist talks about when an extraction is necessary to safeguard your smile.
When does a tooth need to be extracted? A tooth extraction could be necessary if a tooth is too damaged for a restoration, or has a case of tooth decay or infection too severe for a filling, crown, or root canal to correct. Removal then prevents the spread of infection to other parts of the smile. We could take out ones loosened by gum disease, or to help facilitate orthodontic treatment. Removal could improve bite balance and chewing function in some cases too. We could even remove them to pave the way for an implant-secured prosthetic.
The most common reason is to prevent wisdom tooth impaction. The wisdom teeth are four more molars that erupt in our late teens and early 20s. They can cause misalignment, infection, discomfort, and even painful partial eruption known as impaction. However, our team can prevent these complications by removing these teeth prior to eruption!
First, we will need to take detailed digital images of the smile from multiple angles, so we can assess the position of the tooth that requires removal and conduct the surgery without impacting sinus cavities or nerve tissues.
Once we’re ready, we will administer a local numbing agent to keep you comfortable, and we could discuss the use of sedation to help you enter a calm state if you have anxiety. Once you’re relaxed and comfortably, our team will gently remove the tooth in question with a pair of forceps. The process can often take as little as 30 minutes. The sedation could leave you feeling groggy, so have a friend or family on hand to bring you home. You usually need to only rest for a day, and can return to normal activities after one or two days. We will remove the sutures in a follow up visit, and will provide detailed instructions for aftercare in those first couple of days.
Should the removal leave a gap behind in your smile, we could discuss prosthetic options like bridges, full and partial dentures, and even advanced dental implants. If you have any questions, then give us a call today.
Our team wants to help improve smiles with a tooth extraction. If you have questions about our approach to oral surgery, or if you need to set up an appointment, contact your Houston, TX, dentist, Dr. Chan, by calling 713-926-8896.
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