Surgical Dentistry
Compassionate Dental Care
It’s sometimes necessary to remove a tooth from your mouth. Whether it’s been badly damaged as the result of an injury or it’s beyond repair, extraction is sometimes the best option. The concept of removing a tooth from your mouth might intimidate you and make you worry, but sometimes it is safer for your overall oral health to remove a dead, useless tooth from your mouth than to leave it in place.
Book AppointmentCommon Reasons for Extraction
No two people need the same work done in their mouth, but there are a few common reasons most people need to go through with tooth extractions. If your dentist recommends tha you have a tooth pulled out of your mouth, it’s probably for one of these reasons. And, at Wilson Dental, we like to keep the process as streamlined and simple as possible.
Severe decay that’s too expensive or impossible to repair.
Infection bad enough the tooth cannot be fixed.
Gum disease in a tooth that’s become advanced is a health risk. It can easily affect the tissue around the tooth so that the infection spreads and puts your overall health at risk.
It’s blocking other teeth from properly coming in.
Wisdom teeth (they often crowd other teeth and cause additional oral healthcare issues)
What to Expect at your Appointment
With any major oral health concern, your dentist will first apply a numbing agent to the area. You do not want to feel your tooth being extracted from your mouth, but your dentist will not put you under general anesthesia. There are some instances in which anesthesia might be a method your dentist recommends, but most extractions only use a numbing agent in the area where the extraction will occur.
Contact the dental professionals at Wilson Dental today to schedule your extraction appointment. You might not even know you need an extraction at this point, but our team of dental professionals can help you determine what your dental needs with a simple consultation.
During extraction
The numbing agent your dentist applies makes it possible to avoid feeling the pain of the extraction. The tooth is pulled using specialized dental instruments designed for this job, and you might feel nothing more than a slight pull or tugging motion. It takes only a few minutes to extract a tooth, and you will be more than comfortable during the entire process.
After extraction
Once the extraction is over, your dentist will apply gauze to the inside of your mouth to stop any bleeding that may occur. The bleeding is of no concern, and it might occur off and on for a day or two. Your job is to take note of the instructions your dentist leaves you with to care for your tooth. This involves changing the gauze, avoiding certain foods, and not chewing on the side of the mouth where your tooth was extracted.
Recovery
The recovery timeline for an extraction is approximately two weeks. Swelling commonly subsides within two to three days of having the tooth removed. Your dentist will remove your stitches after a week or so if any remain, and it takes up to 10 days for the soreness and stiff feeling in your jaw to subside. It could take up to two weeks for any bruising on the face to heal. Let it be noted that not all people who go through a tooth extraction have any bruising on their cheeks if they follow the after care instructions their dentist gives them.
Preventive Dental Care
We say it all the time, but it’s important to see your dentist every six months for a thorough cleaning and examination of your teeth. One of the primary reasons to do this is to avoid a root canal, which has a long reputation of being an unpleasant oral situation. When you don’t see the dentist every six months, you risk cavities turning into decay.
If decay goes on without dental help, the decay can cause you to lose a tooth completely, which requires expensive dental work to repair. Or, it can even cause your dentist to recommend a root canal. This is a process that involves trying to save a tooth that’s been badly decayed or damaged, which helps prevent your gums from becoming damaged and infected by the decay inside the tooth.
Book AppointmentWhy Does a Root Canal Happen?
A root canal happens because the dentist needs to remove the decayed pulp of the tooth. This is located in the center of the tooth, and it’s sometimes called the pulp chamber. It’s a soft area in which the nerve of the tooth resides. Fortunately, the nerve is not important to the overall health and function of your tooth. It’s primary job is to let you know if something is hot or cold, but you have other receptors in your mouth that do the same job. Removing this pulp from the tooth, cleaning the area, and sealing it does not do any damage to your mouth, but it does help you keep infection at bay.
The primary reason for a root canal is to prevent the formation of bacteria in the pulp chamber. Once this occurs, the area is at risk for spreading infection into the gum. It can cause impaction or an abscess. This is a pocket filled with pus that forms in the mouth on the roots. Not only is this painful, it’s also dangerous. It can cause swelling in the mouth, face, and the neck. It can also cause you to lose the bone at the tip of the root, which can affect your dental health.
What to Expect During a Root Canal
While this is a procedure that has a nasty reputation for being quite painful, medical technology has come a long way in the past few decades. This is a procedure your dentist can do using multiple forms of anesthesia depending on the severity of the issue and your personal medical needs.
It’s no more painful than replacing a filling, and the recovery time is not long at all. Once the process is complete, you’ll have some pain that is easily handled with over-the-counter painkillers. You might experience some swelling and tenderness in the area, and you'll need to avoid chewing with that side of your mouth until your dentist has a chance to place a permanent filling or crown in the area following the procedure.
You can return to your normal day-to-day activities the day after your root canal is complete. Just keep in mind your tooth is fragile until the final filling or crown is in place, and this makes it more susceptible to damage.
Contact Wilson Dental today to schedule a consultation now. If you suspect you need a root canal, our dental professionals can assess the situation and let you now what course of action is needed. Don’t wait any longer, though. Your oral health is important, and you cannot afford to ignore it.
Comprehensive Dental Care
It’s not uncommon for you to feel fear and anxiety when faced with a trip to the dentist. It’s not something everyone is comfortable with, and no one is judging you for being afraid. The unknown is often a terrifying experience, though dental work is commonly done every day on millions of patients without any issues.
Dental anxiety, however, is a real form of anxiety, and we do not take that lightly at Wilson Dental. That’s why we offer sedation dentistry to patients who experience this very real form of anxiety. This type of anxiety is all it takes to keep people out of the dental chair, which causes them to ignore their dental health needs. This is a dangerous situation, but it’s common. If you are too scared to sit in the dental chair, you are not taking proper care of your teeth and gums, and you’re putting your health at risk.
Furthermore, once you avoid going to the dentist for years, you might be too embarrassed to make an appointment. Everyone knows dental health is so important to your overall health, and no one wants to call the dentist to admit that they are scared of the chair and haven’t been taking care of their teeth in years. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s never too late to start taking care of your teeth by visiting your dentist. We welcome you, and we are proud of you for taking the first step to overcoming your fears and taking care of your oral health. We offer sedation dentistry options just for you.
Book AppointmentWho Needs Sedation Dentistry?
Not just anyone can walk into the office and ask for this type of dentistry, but there are some people who can use it anytime they visit. Children can also use this type of dentistry if necessary. There are some people who do not qualify to use this type of sedation dentistry due to their overall health. It’s imperative we discuss your medical history, your medications, and any other concerns you might have prior to sedation.
Contact Wilson Dental today to schedule your appointment to discuss sedation dentistry. Your fear is very real, but it should not discourage you from seeking the help you need from your dental professional.
- Anyone with low pain tolerance
- People who cannot sit still in the chair
- People with sensitive teeth
- People with a bad gag reflex
- People who need excessive dental work done
What is Sedation Dentistry?
There are various levels of sedation dentistry, and we won’t know what level you need until you come into the office and we have a chance to get to know you. Once we get to know you, we can determine which level of sedation is going to make you most comfortable in the chair.
Sedations is administered by a variety of methods:
- Inhaled minimal sedation
- Oral sedation
- IV moderate sedation
You and your dentist can discuss what might work for you, and you can figure out who you will respond well to your dental treatment.
Minimal Sedation
This type of therapy is used for those who are fearful of the chair, but are comfortable being awake and relaxed. This is easily done by giving you a medication that helps you stay calm and relaxed, though you are not asleep. You don’t feel fear or pain while you’re in this state.
Moderation Sedation
This is sometimes called conscious sedation due to the fact that it allows you to stay awake, but you are not alert or focused. You might slur, you might not remember the procedure, and you won’t feel anything because you are so relaxed.
Deep Sedation
This is used when someone is so fearful that they cannot be fully awake even in a relaxed state. This type of sedation puts you at the edge of consciousness, but you are not in a deep sleep.
General Anesthesia
You are completely asleep and unable to function during this procedure. It’s not commonly used, but it is something used in the most severe circumstances in patients whose fear is severe.
Oral Healthcare
Many people believe they get all their teeth at some point during their childhood. While this is mostly accurate, wisdom teeth do not come in until adulthood. The most common age is 17 to 25. Some people get all four wisdom teeth during this time frame, and some people don’t get any.
There is no telling how many you might or might not get, and that’s perfectly normal. Your wisdom teeth are a set of molars located in the far back corners of your mouth, and most people end up having them removed at some point for various reasons.
Book AppointmentWhy Remove Wisdom Teeth?
Keep in mind not everyone who gets their wisdom teeth needs to have them removed. The general consensus is that they are not worth removing unless they are causing other dental issues. For example, some people might find they feel excessive pain that area of their mouth once their teeth come in, and it could be because the teeth are impacted. This occurs when the teeth don’t have ample room to erupt through the gums, or they don’t have room to develop normally. This is called an impacted tooth, and it might cause the issues listed bellow.
These issues can cause damage to your teeth. Pain is the most common problem associated with an impacted wisdom tooth or teeth. It might also trap debris, which can form into decay your toothbrush cannot easily remove. If it’s not correctly positioned in your mouth, it might also cause damage to the teeth around it. If your teeth are impacted, they are a danger to your oral and overall health.
- It might grow at an angle toward another tooth
- It might grow normally, but it might end up trapped beneath the jawbone
- It might grow at an angle facing the back of the mouth
- It might grow at an angle that makes it appear the tooth is lying down on its side
What to Expect During Extraction
Contact Wilson Dental to schedule your consultation to have your wisdom teeth extracted. The sooner you have them out, the better, so that future damage is prevented and your risk of infection is lowered. Your dentist will walk you through the surgery, get it scheduled, and you’ll be on your way to living life without the worry of a future issue with your wisdom teeth.
We can perform your extraction right in our office, and it isn't a lengthy process. However, there is a lengthy recovery time associated with the removal of wisdom teeth. Depending on your own health and preferences, your dentist may use one of the following types of anesthesia:
Local Anesthesia
Your dentist will apply a local anesthetic to the area to numb it. This is done with the use of injections near the area where the extraction is scheduled to take place. This is not done until the area around your gums is numb from a substance your dentist applies to the gum where the injection will occur. You are awake during this procedure.
Sedation
Your dentist will use an IV through your arm to sedate you. You aren’t entirely asleep during this process, but you are in a state of suppressed consciousness. You may remember some things from the removal, but you will not remember much.
General Anesthesia
Your dentist will ask you to inhale this through your nose or mouth, and you will sleep through the entire procedure. You will have a surgical team present to monitor your vitals throughout the entire process. You will not remember anything, nor will you feel any pain through this process.
Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Following anesthesia, your dentist will make an incision near the area where the tooth is being extracted. He will remove the bone that blocks the access to the root of the gum, and he will then remove the tooth. The site is then cleaned, stitched close, and gauze is used to help stop the bleeding and keep the area clean.
Recovery
Following your surgery, you will need time to recover. You cannot eat solid foods, you cannot go back to work, and you must take care of your mouth. Recovery takes approximately a week or two, but most of the issues you face are minimized after the first day.