Perhaps your tooth is damaged or decayed, and infection poses a threat to your overall dental health. Or, maybe your wisdom teeth are coming in incorrectly, putting your otherwise healthy teeth at risk. These are just two examples in which tooth extraction is a very good idea. While the idea of extraction may make you nervous, you might be surprised to learn that getting a tooth pulled isn’t all that painful and may even relieve your discomfort in the long run.
At McLean Aura Dentistry, Drs. Negar Tehrani and Chang Yi and our team do everything in our power to preserve your teeth, but there are times when tooth extraction poses the best solution. If you’re worried about this procedure, we want to put your mind at ease with the following points.
Thanks to our use of effective anesthetics, you shouldn’t feel anything during your tooth extraction procedure. If it’s a simple extraction, we administer a local anesthetic that completely numbs the area, allowing us to quickly lift and remove your tooth.
If it’s a more involved procedure, such as an impacted tooth beneath your gums, we can use a local anesthetic, as well as a general sedative for your comfort and anxiety.
Where you may experience some discomfort is after the anesthetics wear off, which typically presents as soreness. In most cases, you can easily manage the pain by taking over-the-counter medications or any medications we may have prescribed for you. The trick here is to stay one step ahead of the discomfort with your medications during the first days after your extraction. Cold compresses are also a great idea after your procedure, which can help with both swelling and discomfort.
You should also follow our aftercare instructions very closely, such as avoiding rinsing or using straws as both can disrupt the healing-over process.
Also, you should follow our recommendations for when you can reasonably eat solid foods, brush your teeth, etc. Bear in mind that the tissue in this area is tender after your extraction so you don’t want to be eating foods that might irritate the site or scrub away at it with a toothbrush. For a few days after your extraction, brush gently and fully chew your food on the opposite side of your mouth.
Many of our patients come to us with a very painful tooth because infection has set in. In these cases, extraction provides almost immediate relief from this pain, which will make any discomfort you may feel after the procedure relatively minor.
Even if we’re extracting a tooth that isn’t causing pain (such as an impacted wisdom tooth), this step is preventive as it will likely save you from potentially painful problems down the road.
The bottom line is that tooth extraction is beneficial for your dental health and it’s designed to eliminate or avoid many painful conditions.
If you have any questions about your tooth extraction, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in McLean, Virginia.
