What to Expect with Wisdom Teeth Removal

Let’s be honest. The thought of losing a tooth stops being appealing after a certain age. However, there are circumstances when you need a tooth extraction, such as if it becomes damaged beyond repair or severely infected. Thankfully, at Freedom Dental, you can expect compassionate, expert care from Dr. Cheng Zhu and his committed team of dental professionals.

Why is Tooth Extraction Ever Necessary?

With all the new dental technology at our disposal, many patients wonder why we would still need to extract any patient’s tooth. While it’s true that we have better treatments capable of saving a tooth than we did decades ago, there are still limits to what dental technology can do when a tooth becomes too damaged to keep.

After a tooth suffers from a catastrophic injury, the likelihood of a severe infection increases drastically. If left untreated, an injured tooth can lead to an infection that may spread to surrounding otherwise perfectly healthy teeth. An untreated infection can also spread throughout your body, causing severe health issues such as heart attacks. Often, the pain associated with damaged or infected teeth only gets worse until the tooth is extracted.

A few reasons you may need a tooth extraction can include:

• Severe tooth decay
• Impacted wisdom teeth
• Crowded teeth
• A major tooth injury
• Severe tooth infection

To provide relief, Dr. Zhu may need to take the drastic step of extracting your tooth before he can offer restorative options like dental implants or bridges.

What Happens During a Tooth Extraction?

Dr. Zhu may remove your tooth by using one of two methods.

Simple Tooth Extraction – During a simple tooth extraction, Dr. Zhu uses an elevator, a custom dental tool, to loosen a tooth gently. From there, he would simply pull the crown of the tooth until the root leaves the gums. However, a simple extraction is only possible if the crown portion of a tooth is completely visible above the gum line.

Surgical Tooth Extraction – Dr. Zhu will need to perform a surgical extraction if the crown is not visible enough above the gum line. These extractions are common when removing impacted teeth and fragments left over from missing teeth. During the surgical procedure, Dr. Zhu will make a small incision in your gums to extract the tooth using precise dental tools designed specifically for complex extractions. Dr. Zhu may also need to purposely break up the impacted tooth to remove it more easily with minimum discomfort.

Post-Extraction Treatment

Following your extraction, Dr. Zhu will pack your mouth with sterile gauze to prevent bleeding, which you will need to change after around 45 minutes.

After about 24 hours, your mouth should have healed enough to allow you to brush and floss. However, you want to take it slow and gently, not aggravating the extraction site. Dr. Zhu may prescribe a potent anti-inflammatory and pain medication to relieve discomfort.

Following Dr. Zhu’s comprehensive instructions detailing how to manage your oral health following a tooth extraction is important. For example, following a surgical extraction, you may have to consume soft foods or forgo using a straw for a few days.

Get Relief

If you live in or near the Fairfield community, the first step is to call Freedom Dental at (707) 416-0626 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Zhu so we can assess your needs and take action to save your smile and provide the relief you need.

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