Are you having severe issues with your teeth? Wondering if you need a dental extraction?
While tooth extraction is the last thing anyone would want to go for, sometimes it becomes the best choice for your overall dental health.
In most cases, patients wait until the last minute before they make up their minds to go for a tooth extraction. However, waiting too long to remove a tooth may lead to additional problems. This makes it extremely important for anyone to know about the symptoms that indicate the need for this procedure.
Below are the top 5 signs that indicate the need for this procedure.
Misplaced Teeth
Misplaced teeth are one of the top signs indicating the need for a dental extraction. Missing teeth also include problems like impaction and crowding. Impaction is a condition in which your tooth is misplaced. It occurs when a tooth shifts its direction or grows in the wrong direction, landing in a place it shouldn’t be. On the other hand, overcrowding is a condition in which the teeth get crowded in one area. Since too many teeth come together in one place, they don’t have enough space to fit together correctly. While impacting and crowding are two different problems, they have a similar solution: tooth extraction.
Extensive Tooth Decay
There are many reasons for tooth decay, and the most common ones are poor oral hygiene, an unhealthy diet, and plaque formation. Tooth decay is a significant issue; if left untreated, it may lead to damaged teeth. Broken or damaged teeth with cracks can lead to significant problems and require dental extraction.
Tooth decay can also be treated with the help of other dental procedures. However, this is possible only if tooth decay is caught early. If you already have extensive tooth decay, extraction may be the only option left for treating the issue.
In case of severe tooth decay, asking your dentist about the ideal solution is best.
Infection
A tooth decay that extends to the tooth’s pulp leads to more significant problems like an infection. An infection may damage your teeth and gums severely, and in most cases, the only solution for this is to have one or several teeth extracted.
Infections are severe and must never be ignored. It’s recommended to speak to your dentist about tooth decay or infection that has just begun to avoid tooth loss. Extractions are majorly required to treat tooth infections. However, in some cases, an extraction may be suggested as a preventative measure to prevent the possibility of a disease. Tooth extractions are also recommended for patients who have a weakened immune system. For example, if a patient goes through chemotherapy, their body may not be able to take the pain of a cracked tooth or an infection. In this case, the dentist may recommend the patient to have their tooth pulled.
Gum Disease
Periodontal disease is another major issue that may call for the need for an extraction. This disease is an infection affecting the gums, teeth, and other surrounding tissues and structures. Severe periodontal disease may harm the alveolar bone and periodontal ligaments, too, and also increase the chances of tooth decay.
If this gum disease is caught early, it can be reversed. However, tooth extraction may be the only solution if the problem advances. As the patient’s condition worsens, the number of solutions goes on reducing.
Severe Pain and Damage
Other things may affect your teeth besides gum diseases, tooth decay, and placement issues. These include car accidents, severe injuries due to a fall, sports injuries, etc. While there may be many solutions for the problems mentioned above, severe damages in most cases demand tooth extraction.
Severe pain may also call for the need for tooth removal. Pain can occur due to various issues related to the teeth and jaw, and if your condition is bad, there may be very few solutions. Pain that increases while chewing or when pressure is applied may indicate the need for an extraction.
What to Expect From Tooth Extraction?
There are a few things that you may expect from dental extractions. Modern techniques have made things more straightforward than before with tooth extraction. If the thought of experiencing the pain associated with tooth extraction scares you, you may choose from the various sedation options. In most sedation cases, the patient experiences pain similar to getting a tooth filling. Painkillers are then recommended post-procedure to curb the pain.
As far as tooth extraction healing is concerned, it will take a couple of weeks. Tooth extraction involves no complications in most cases, but there are chances of infection. If your tooth is removed, you may feel relief in the first 24 to 48 hours. It is best to avoid heavy oral activities during the healing period, like chewing gums or crushing ice. You may use ice packs and oral rinses to subside the pain.
Complete tooth extraction healing may take one to two months in most cases. You can expect a restoration plan to be shared by your dentist. To know more about tooth extraction or consultation, call Hashtag Dentist at (07) 3179 6083.
Frequently Asked Questions
Continuous severe pain is one of the most obvious signs that indicate the need for tooth extraction. The pain may occur in the gums or jaw. This type of pain usually means that something is wrong with the tooth. In most cases, the pain is because of an infection in your gums, tooth, or a deep cavity. Another common reason for tooth extraction is impaction and overcrowding. Impacted teeth are the ones that fail to erupt entirely from the gums. At the same time, overcrowded teeth are misaligned teeth that grow in the wrong direction and affect and shift the surrounding teeth.
Various medical conditions may cause complications during oral surgeries. Hence, it would be best if you spoke to your dentist about any health issue before they perform a tooth extraction on you. For example, your dentist may not suggest a tooth extraction if you have Cardiovascular disease, Heart anomalies, a Pacemaker, Hypertension, Hypotension, Haematological diseases, Leukemia / Lymphoma, Haemorrhagic diathesis, Anticoagulants, Hyperthyroidism, Diabetes Mellitus, Renal disease, Adrenal insufficiency, Cushing’s Syndrome, Asthma, Pregnancy / Lactation and more. Therefore, ensure to share your medical history with your dentist, so they can determine whether or not a tooth extraction is an ideal treatment for you.
Teeth with severe decay or serious gum diseases require extraction. Also, if a tooth gets fractured, your dentist may recommend getting it removed. Some other common reasons for tooth removal are impaction, crowding, tooth luxation or other dental injuries. If you have pain or discomfort because of any of the above-mentioned issues, it is best to consult your dentist. The earlier you seek treatment for your dental problems, the lesser the chances of tooth loss. However, if issues like decay, gum diseases, impaction, or crowding are ignored for too long, the only solution would be extraction.
The time required for recovery depends on the complexity of your case. However, in most cases, people feel comfortable in just a few days. After tooth extraction, patients may resume their routine activities within 48 to 72 hours. While the pain may subside and the patient may feel comfortable as time passes, the complete healing of the jawbone may take several weeks. For example, simple extraction of a small tooth having a single root may take about seven days to close and heal. At the same time, a hole from a simple extraction of a large tooth having several roots may take longer than 3 weeks to heal completely.
Some bleeding for up to 1 day after the extraction is normal. It is recommended not to disturb the area with your tongue to allow the formation of a blood clot. In most cases, the pain will settle within 72 hours. However, if your wisdom tooth is extracted, you may expect the healing time to be a little longer. The pain may last a few days, and the complete healing procedure may take up to several weeks. You must see your dentist if your pain doesn’t reduce within three days. They will examine the area to check why the pain isn’t subsiding.
