Permanent teeth do not always live up to their name. In many instances, adults do have to have a tooth extraction procedure done. Though it sounds very disturbing, we at The Dental Hub try and make this experience as smooth for you as possible.
The first thing to understand is the reason why one may need to have a tooth extraction procedure done.
- Infection: Dental infection generally occurs inside the cavity of a particular tooth and in most cases can be treated by root canal (RCT) procedures. In case the infection is worse and the tooth cannot be restored through RCT, extraction is the only option that remains.
- Crowding: For orthodontic purposes, to realign teeth and to improve the cosmetic value of the dentition, sometimes a tooth or two may need to be extracted from a crowded alignment.
- Risk of infection: For patients whose immune system is compromised (due to chemotherapy, HIV etc.) a dental infection cannot be risked and therefore tooth extraction is considered a viable option.
- Periodontal disease: If a client is suffering from a disease that involves decay of the bone or gum area, it may cause the tissue around a tooth to become loose. In such cases extraction is recommended.
A normal tooth extraction procedure begins with applying local anaesthesia to the area from where the tooth will be pulled. Sometimes when more teeth are being pulled, the dental surgeon may recommend general anaesthesia. In some cases when the tooth is problematic to remove, the tooth will be split and taken out in pieces.
Soluble stitches are put in to sew back the gum over the now-bleeding and empty socket. A gauze pad is placed and the patient is asked to bite down on it to stop the bleeding. In the next 24 hours after a tooth extraction, the patient is advised to take rest, apply ice and to eat soft foods.