What Should You Avoid After Tooth Extraction?
One crucial thing to do before visiting a dentist in Bellaire is to prepare for your treatment. When you know the nature of your anticipated dental treatment, you are less likely to be anxious and nervous. Besides, prepare also for life after any dental treatment. Any adjustments you need to make after your procedure can impact the quality of your life if you are unprepared. The stakes are higher when you undergo a tooth extraction and secure a huge gap in your smile.
What Are Tooth Extractions?
They are dental procedures for removing a natural tooth from the mouth. The process of tooth extractions near you entails detaching a mature tooth from its socket to eliminate its connection to your mouth. When a tooth is fully mature, it is deeply rooted in the jawbone. It can make the extraction process more intricate than what you anticipate.
What Does a Tooth Extraction Entail?
Simple tooth extraction in Bellaire is a relatively easy procedure to perform. A dentist will only rock the target tooth back and forth repeatedly, weakening its attachment to the jawbone. If done enough times, the tooth will detach from its socket. However, some teeth are more stubborn than others. The simple route of extracting a natural tooth would not suffice. Therefore, a dentist at Tara Dental Group will determine a different approach.
The other way of extracting a tooth entails surgery. The dentist will cut open the gums, then expose the bone tissue blocking direct access to the tooth. At this, extraction is much easier. However, the dentist may need to go the extra mile of breaking the target tooth into smaller pieces, making it manageable when extracting.
Is A Tooth Extraction Painful?
Generally, detaching a natural tooth from the jawbone will be countered by some resistance, hence causing dental pain. It is the reason that dentists use sedation dentistry and local anesthesia when performing dental extractions. Local anesthesia will numb your mouth, rendering the procedure painless. Sedation dentistry will calm your nerves, ensuring you remain still and comfortable throughout the treatment.
How Do You Adjust to Life After a Tooth Extraction?
Losing your natural tooth is a big deal, even though it may be necessary for the general good of your oral cavity. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with inquiring about the necessary changes you must make after tooth extraction. Your dentist should give you a couple of guidelines to help you out. Some of the things you should expect to hear, entail habits you should avoid. They include:
- Using straws – drinking fluids through a straw may seem like a good idea when your mouth is sore from the extraction procedure. However, it is not. Sucking through the straw introduces dry air into your mouth, which will cause a dry socket that causes substantial dental pain at the extraction site.
- Hard foods – although it should go without saying, not everyone understands the risks of eating hard foods soon after tooth extraction. Excessive crushing and chewing of hard foods risk damaging the soft tissues around the extraction site. These foods might exacerbate the wound, causing bleeding, pain, and swelling. You should hold off on hard foods for the first two or so weeks after your extraction procedure. As you heal, you should get more confident in introducing hard foods in your meal preps.
- Dislodging the blood clot – one of the things you must consciously stop yourself from doing is dislodging the clot at the extraction site. Resist the urge to run your tongue through the wound area. The blood clot is essential for stopping bleeding and aiding the healing process.
- Overworking – after a tooth extraction, you must dedicate time to resting. Actively resting is crucial for quick recovery. It allows your brain and body to focus solely on the healing process of the wound.
- Skipping teeth brushing – even though your mouth may be sore, it is not enough of a reason to avoid brushing your teeth. Keeping a clean mouth is fundamental for fighting infections in your oral cavity, especially after a dental extraction. If you allow plaque and tartar to form on the surfaces of your teeth and soft tissues, you risk infecting the extraction wound.