Tooth Extraction Surgery in Langley at Blue Water Dental
A tooth extraction usually is our last resort for our Langley dental patients. Over 60% of dental extractions are due to caries in dentistry. When you come into our dental office, the first step will be a X-ray of the tooth so that we can see the extent of the tooth decay and damage during our dental exams so we can plan a gentle and precise tooth extraction.
What Conditions We Want to Know About as Your Langley Dentist
As your dental team, we need to know about a variety of oral health issues before we extract your teeth at our Langley Clinic. The most important dentistry conditions to alert us to are:
We also need to know if you have an artificial joint or if you have a history of bacterial endocarditis. Dental exams are important because we need to know about your medical history and condition so you can have the smoothest oral surgery procedure possible. Ideally, you have been visiting us for regular oral dental exams and teeth cleanings to minimize the bacteria in your mouth which could do harm.
We also ask that all of our patients take the time to alert us of any medication or major medical conditions that may affect their dentistry. For example, if you’re going to be treated with bisphosphonate, we need to know immediately. The drug can increase your risk of what is known as bone loss, or medically known as dental osteonecrosis in dentistry.
When We Prescribe Antibiotics
Your tooth or teeth extractions may require antibiotics, or it may not. We judge when antibiotics may be helpful for our Langley dental patients. The main reasons that we prescribe antibiotics in dentistry are:
Oral surgery is expected to be long and complex
You have a weakened immune system
An infection needs to be cleared before extraction as is the case with some oral dental emergencies
You suffer from certain medical conditions
We'll discuss your need for antibiotics in our office so that you have a full understanding of what medications, if any, that you’ll need to take. Often times, you’ll be able to have your tooth extracted with no need for antibiotics.
Preparing for Tooth Extractions
If you want to make sure that your oral surgery goes smoothly, you should listen to the dentist. We have seen all types of dentistry oral complications and we want you to keep the following in mind to make your dental extraction as easy as possible:
Tell us if you vomited or felt nausea the day before extraction
If you’re sick or felt sick the night before the procedure, we may need to use different anesthesia or even reschedule. For patients undergoing sleep dentistry you should also have someone to drive you home after the dental procedure.
Anyone who is receiving dental anesthesia for oral surgery will also want to wear a loose shirt and not eat for at least six hours before their appointment or as we advise. It's important to follow these guidelines.
Understanding What a Tooth Extraction Entails in Langley
A dentist or oral surgeon can perform dental extractions. You can expect the dental procedure to follow the oral routine outlined below:
A local anesthetic will be injected to numb the area around the tooth or teeth
We'll determine if a stronger anesthetic is required by asking a series of dentistry questions
Once the dental anesthetic is working, we’ll extract the tooth
After the procedure, you’ll likely feel discomfort and your teeth may shift over time requiring Invisalign or orthodontic dentistry if you don’t replace the tooth. If we believe that the missing tooth may make it difficult to chew your food properly, we’ll recommend a replacement from our dental list of services.
In most cases in dentistry, the dental extraction will last for 3 to 25 minutes, not including the time that it takes to numb the area. Extracting root canaled teeth generally takes longer because of the fragility of the roots and similarly teeth with veneers or dental crowns the can be more susceptible to fracture on the top part of the tooth.
There are two main types of oral dental extractions that we can perform in dentistry:
Simple. A simple dental extraction is what every patient should hope to have because it’s the fastest way to extract a tooth. You'll feel some pressure, but the local anesthesia will make it so that you don’t feel pain. The tooth is loosened with an “elevator,” and dental forceps are used to remove the tooth during the oral surgery.
Surgical. If the tooth has decayed or is broken to the point that we have to cut into the gums to remove bone or cut the tooth before extraction, this is a surgical dental procedure.
In either case, your tooth will be extracted, and it will take time to fully heal
Dental Risks When Having a Tooth Removed
At our Langley clinic we'll do everything we can to ensure that your risks when having your tooth extracted are as minimal as possible. We advise all of our patients regarding after-extraction care during our dental exams, but there are times when patients do everything right and oral dental issues still occur.
The main risk is what we call in dentistry a “dry socket.”
A dental dry socket occurs when the blood clot that forms in the dental socket of the extracted tooth either dislodges or doesn’t form following oral sugery. In this case, the bone is exposed to the air. This is what is known as “dry socket,” and it can be quite painful. The pain often leads to a return visit to our Langley dental office where we’ll put a dressing over the surgery area and protect it while a new blood clot forms. This is the biggest risk when a tooth is extracted, but additional dentistry risks also exist, including:
Excessive bleeding that lasts more than 12 hours
Fever or chills
Cough
Swelling or pain of the dental surgical site
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
You may also experience nausea or vomiting. In all of these cases, we ask that you contact us immediately. We'll take the steps necessary to eliminate these symptoms and help you on the path to recovery.
Dry Socket Dentistry 101
In dentistry everyone that has their tooth removed is at-risk of oral dry socket. And while the condition is painful, it is rare in dentistry. Normally, less than 0.5% to 5% of people will experience a dental dry socket, but it depends on the location of the extracted tooth. If you have your wisdom tooth removed, there’s a higher risk that you’ll experience dry socket than if you have another tooth extracted.
What Happens When Dry Socket Occurs
When dry socket occurs, the bones and nerves inside of your gums are left exposed to the oral environment after surgery. It’s important to come back to our dental office to have it taken care of because, if left untreated after oral surgery, dry socket can cause:
An infection in the socket or an infection that spreads to your bone
Delayed healing
Identifying Dry Socket
The most obvious sign of dental dry socket is throbbing pain in your jaw. The pain may not be limited to just your mouth. It may radiate up into your neck, ear, eye or temples. Generally, the pain will be on the same side as the extracted tooth and will develop within a few days of having your tooth removed by a dentist. Other symptoms of dry socket following surgery can include:
An unpleasant taste in the mouth
Bad breath
To check for dental dry socket, use a mirror and open your mouth. If you can see bone where your extracted tooth once was, there’s a good chance that you have dry socket.
What Causes Dry Socket?
As you know, dry socket develops when a protective blood clot either doesn’t form or becomes dislodged. Why does this happen? Dental researchers still don’t have an answer. It’s believed bacterial contamination may prevent the blood clot from forming in the oral environment. Bacterial contamination can come from food, drink or other things in the mouth.
Trauma can cause the blood clot to become dislodged. Sometimes, this can happen when a tooth surgery extraction is more complex, or it can happen during recovery. Brushing your teeth, for example, can disturb the clot.
Who’s at Risk of Dry Socket?
Although dry socket is rare, some factors can increase your risk in dentistry, such as:
A history of dental dry socket. If you had it once, there’s a risk that you may develop it again.
Smoking cigarettes. The chemicals and toxins in cigarettes can cause contamination. In addition, inhaling when smoking can dislodge the dental clot.
Improper aftercare. Poor oral hygiene and not following instructions for at-home care can increase your risk of dry socket.
Impacted wisdom teeth can lead to dry socket. This includes bony impacted wisdom teeth, vertically impacted wisdom teeth and distally-impacted wisdom teeth.
Treating and Diagnosing Dry Socket
If you’re experiencing severe dental pain after a tooth extraction, touch base with us at our local Langley number right away to make an appointment at our Langley dentist office. We may take dental X-rays to get a better idea of what’s going on and to see if there are any other causes for your pain, such as a bone infection or roots that were left behind. If you do have dry socket, treatment involves:
Cleaning the socket to remove food particles and other debris. This step may help alleviate some pain, but it will also help prevent a dental infection.
We may place gauze on the socket and use a special medicated dental gel to numb the pain. We will also provide instructions on removing the gauze.
You may need to clean the socket at home, and we may recommend a warm salt water rinse for this step
You can use over-the-counter pain medication to help with the dental pain, such as aspirin or an NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory). Cold compresses can also help alleviate the pain.
If the pain is severe, prescription pain relievers may be needed.
What is the Recovery Process After a Tooth Removal?
Oemoving a tooth is a serious procedure, and while routine, it will require some time to recover. You can expect the dental extraction site to be sore, but within just a few short days, you’ll begin to feel much better. Our Langley dentist will provide you with after-care dentistry instructions, and they often include:
Not using a straw for at least 24 hours, as this can dislodge the blood clot
Allowing for rest and relaxation for the first day after extraction
If you want to keep swelling down after surgery, don’t be afraid to ice the area for 10 minutes at a time
Do not rinse your mouth out and vigorously spit for 24 hours
Prop your head up when laying down
Avoid smoking
Avoid the extraction site whennd flossing
These are basic recommendations, but they’re important to follow to avoid any dental complications. You'll also want to avoid any hard foods for a day or two while your socket forms a blood clot.
Best Foods to Eat
Ideally foods after dental surgery to eat should be soft and easy to chew. For improved dental wound healing foods visit a local Langley grocery store to find foods that are high in energy, minerals, vitamins and protein. This can include things like:
Soups and broths
Mashed potatoes
Greek Yogurt
Eggs
Baby foods that are mushed into a sauce
Soft bananas
Avocados
Smoothies
Cheeses
Oatmeal blends
Salmon is a great meat because of its softness
Definitely avoid:
Spicy foods that can cause redness and an increase in swelling in the area
Breads with grains or seeds that could become lodged in the wound site. For example multi-grain flax seed type breads from a Langley grocery store
Alcohol which can irritate the extraction site or decrease the effectiveness of prescribed oral medications
Chewy foods that could cause you to injure your tongue or cheek while still frozen
You'll want to slowly add in harder foods as tolerated until your extraction site has healed. After the first 24 hours, you can rinse your mouth with warm salt water. The rinse will keep the site clean and reduce the risk of dental infection.
It's important that you contact us at Blue Water Dental if the pain doesn’t subside or if you notice any pus near the dental incision area after surgery.
Infection is possible, and we’ll prescribe antibiotics to make sure that the infection clears as quickly as possible.
Replacing Your Extracted Tooth - Dental Options and How to Contact Us
After tooth extractions the tooth or teeth should be replaced. Dental implants are one option. An implant will prevent your surrounding teeth from shifting and moving. If a dental implant isn’t a good fit for you, there are other services in cosmetic dentistry, such as:
If you’re in need of a dental surgery contact our Langley clinic for a consultation with us. We will answer any dentistry questions you may have about the procedure, review the costs and discuss your options
