What to Expect When You Get a Tooth Pulled
California Dental Group will take excellent care of you during a tooth extraction
At California Dental Group, we are dedicated to helping our patients keep their natural teeth as long as possible. This means that you can count on us to explore all possible options for saving a tooth before we recommend extraction. For example, a severely decayed tooth could possibly be saved with a crown, and an infected one could be saved with a root canal. We prefer these options because they save you from the small risks that attend any surgical procedure, and because they prevent the risk of bone loss in the jaw in the area of the extracted tooth.
When it comes to wisdom teeth, we typically recommend leaving the teeth in place unless they are becoming decayed or infected, are causing you pain, are coming in incorrectly, or are threatening to push other teeth out of alignment. We will provide our honest opinion and leave the final decision up to you.
Preparing for the Procedure
In order to ensure your tooth extraction goes as smoothly as possible, we may recommend taking certain steps to prepare for the surgery. For example, if you use tobacco of any kind, you may need to quit for a few days before (and after) the extraction to prevent the nicotine and other chemicals in the tobacco from slowing your healing process. We may also need to get severe gum disease infections under control before the surgery.
The Procedure
We will do everything in our power to make sure you are comfortable during your tooth extraction. Depending on the procedure and your wishes, you may have the choice of conscious sedation, nitrous oxide gas, or a sedative pill. In any case, we will make sure you are not able to feel discomfort during the extraction. You can rely on our experienced dentists to remove all necessary tooth material to set the stage for rapid healing. If your procedure involved extracting an impacted wisdom tooth or other un-erupted tooth, you will likely have stitches.
Before allowing you to leave the office, we will make sure that a clot has formed at the extraction site. However, some continued bleeding is normal and will not prevent you from going home. Typically, the procedure will be over in less than an hour.
Post-Op Instructions & Care
We will send you home with detailed instructions for your post-op care, including how to keep the extraction site clean, what pain medications you can take, and what you can eat. We will follow up with you the next day to make sure you are doing well, and we are always available to help answer questions.
Think you need a tooth out? If so, call California Dental Group now for a consultation.
