Tooth Extractions

No one ever wants to lose their teeth. Your goal is often to keep as many natural teeth as you can for as long as humanly possible. Therefore, many Albuquerque residents wonder why we offer tooth extraction procedures at Ivory Dental.

While our goal is the same as yours – to keep the teeth in your mouth – there are times where that’s not possible. Sometimes, situations arise where you require a tooth extraction.

Before we do anything, we discuss your treatment options with you. That way, you can make the right decision for your smile. However, that might include extractions with partial dentures or implants.

We want you to understand this procedure thoroughly so that you are comfortable with it when you arrive. With that, you should know why and when it’s recommended so that you can work on ways to prevent requiring extractions later in life.

Why Do You Remove Teeth?

Typically, older teenagers and adults require tooth extractions to remove wisdom teeth once they come in. Often, your mouth isn’t wide enough for those teeth, which can cause crowding, pain, and difficulty in keeping the teeth clean.

However, there may be other times when a tooth extraction is necessary for adults.

For instance, crowding, tooth infections, and significant decay might all require a tooth extraction. Sometimes, teenagers who need braces have one or more teeth removed so that the other teeth can shift into the best place.

If you have had chemotherapy or an organ transplant, you may have compromised teeth and significant damage. We might recommend that you have them removed so that the rest of the teeth stay healthy.

In general, tooth extraction is done at our office, so you don’t have to visit an oral surgeon. This procedure is fast and can be done with intravenous, local, or general anesthesia or a combination.

How Do You Prepare for a Tooth Extraction?

Before your procedure, we have you visit the office to have X-rays done on the teeth. During this time, we ask about any medications you take. Bring the prescription bottles with you or make a list. Also, you should include supplements, vitamins, and OTC drugs.

We also ask if you plan to have a medical procedure that requires you to use bisphosphonate. It’s imperative to have the tooth extraction before other treatments to prevent jawbone death or osteonecrosis.

With that, we need to know your personal medical history, including conditions like:

• A history of bacterial endocarditis
• Congenital heart defects
• Liver disease
• Diabetes
• Thyroid disease
• Renal disease
• Artificial joints
• Hypertension
• Damaged heart valves
• Impaired immune system
• Adrenal disease

Sometimes, we hold off on the treatment to make sure that you are stable enough for the tooth extraction. That often means treating those conditions. We may also prescribe you antibiotics that you take immediately before the procedure if you have a weak immune system, the surgery might take a while, you have an infection, or there’s another issue.

Extraction Day

On extraction day, please remember these things (and we tell you again at your appointment):

• Someone must be available to drive you home if you have general anesthesia, and we recommend this anyway.
• Tell us if you were nauseous or vomiting the day before the surgery; we may need to offer different anesthesia or reschedule.
• If you have an illness, such as the flu or a cold, we may reschedule. Please call to let us know your condition so that you don’t bring germs to the office.
• Don’t eat for the eight hours before treatment if you’re having intravenous anesthesia.

What Are the Risks Involved with Tooth Extractions?

Even during a simple extraction, there could be some risks. However, if we’ve recommended this treatment, there are plenty of benefits.

With tooth extractions, the socket forms a blood clot naturally. That’s the hole in your bone where the tooth used to be. Sometimes, it doesn’t develop or falls out too soon. That can expose the bone, which hurts (dry socket). We offer sedative dressings to help a new clot form.

Other risk factors include:

• Fever or chills (infection)
• Cough
• Bleeding lasting more than 12 hours
• Redness or swelling at the site
• Vomiting and nausea
• Chest pain or shortness of breath

Please call our office if you have any of the above symptoms. If no one is available at the office, you may contact the emergency room of your local hospital.

The Procedure for a Tooth Extraction

Typically, we offer both surgical and simple extractions. Most people require a simple one, which is easier to complete and often has fewer risks involved. However, what you need depends on different things, such as if the tooth is visible or if it’s impacted or not.

With a simple extraction, we tend to use a local anesthetic. Usually, we give you a shot in the area that we’re working on, which numbs it. During your procedure, you do feel pressure, but there should be no pain.

Typically, we wait a while to ensure that the area is fully numb. That way, you can relax knowing that you don’t have to be in pain at all.

We use an elevator, which is a special instrument that loosens your tooth. From there, we use forceps to remove it from your gums. Generally, this process takes about 30 minutes.

What Are Surgical Extractions?

If your tooth is below your gum line or impacted, we must use surgery to remove it. Therefore, you get some local anesthetic to the area, numbing it. Often, we use intravenous anesthesia to relax you and help you stay calm. That way, you don’t get high blood pressure during the procedure.

General anesthesia might be used, based on different factors.

Regardless, when you’re comfortable, the dentist cuts into your gums and removes some bone if necessary. Then, we take the tooth out. Sometimes, we have to cut the tooth into small sections first. That way, it’s easier to remove. Though you feel some pressure if you’re on intravenous or local anesthetic, you don’t experience pain.

Let Ivory Dental Safely Perform Your Tooth Extraction

Our goal is always to save your teeth whenever possible. However, there are times where this isn’t recommended or possible. If you’re not a suitable candidate for a root canal or have wisdom teeth that just can’t fit in your mouth, you might require a tooth extraction.

We may also recommend them if you need dental implants and your teeth haven’t fallen out naturally yet.

Regardless, there is nothing to fear when you use Ivory Dental for these services. Albuquerque residents are sure to appreciate the kindness and care we offer for every treatment option.

Please call us today to make an appointment. That way, we can assess your needs and recommend the best treatment for which tooth extraction might be necessary.