When is tooth extraction necessary?
Often, the decision to remove your tooth (or teeth) only comes after Dr. Geller exhausts every avenue to preserve your natural teeth. If, however, your tooth becomes more of a liability than an asset, an extraction serves to benefit your overall dental health.
Dr. Geller may recommend extraction for the following:
- Baby teeth that don’t fall out naturally
- Crowded teeth
- Extensive decay
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- To make room for dental work
In less common situations, Dr. Geller may remove some of your teeth if they’re a potential source of infection. Such a situation would be when you’re undergoing chemotherapy or you’re at a greater risk of infection due to more serious autoimmune diseases or conditions.
How are my teeth extracted?
Thanks to advances in modern dentistry, tooth extraction is usually a simple, in-office procedure. First, Dr. Geller takes 3D images of your tooth using an intraoral camera, digital scanner, or cone beam CT scan. With these images, Dr. Geller extracts your tooth with precision, ensuring that he removes only what’s necessary, without compromising your surrounding teeth.
Once Dr. Geller targets and maps the area, he administers a local anesthetic so you won’t feel any pain or discomfort. For more complicated extractions, Dr. Geller also performs the procedure under general anesthesia.
After Dr. Geller removes your entire tooth, down to the root, he sends you home with aftercare instructions.
What do I do after my tooth is extracted?
When you leave Dr. Geller’s office, you’re armed with detailed instructions on caring for the site of the extraction, which includes:
- Keeping pressure on the area with gauze for the first 24 hours to promote clotting
- Avoiding rinsing to allow a clot to form
- Icing your face for any swelling
- Taking over-the-counter or prescribed medications as needed for pain
- Eating soft foods for several days
In three to seven days, you revisit Dr. Geller to make sure the area is healing properly. If everything is progressing well, Dr. Geller gives you the green light for eating solid foods again.
If you need to have a tooth extracted, trust the capable staff at Geller Family Dental to do the procedure as efficiently and painlessly as possible. Call or go online to book an appointment to learn more.
