Tooth Extractions and Post Op Care

After a dental extraction it is very important to preserve the blood clot in the extraction site in order for the socket to heal and to fill with some new healthy bone.

Loss of the blood clot can lead to a very serious and painful infection called “dry socket” which would have to be treated. It is important to take preventative measures toward dry socket immediately following the extraction.

After surgery avoid drinking from a straw or from a sports type bottle that requires sucking action as it can cause more bleeding and risk dislodging the blood clot.

Avoid excessive or forceful spitting after the surgery to avoid causing more bleeding from the extraction site.

Keeping your mouth clean is critical after extraction; you should however avoid vigorous rinsing as the action can dislodge the blood clot.

If you need to rinse your mouth do so very gently.

Smoking should be avoided at all costs after oral surgery because it delays healing, breaking down the clot and greatly increasing the risk of dry socket.

When your extraction is complete a surgical gauze pad will be kept in place over the extraction site and you will be asked to bite down to keep pressure over the socket for at least a half an hour. The pressure will help to control the bleeding from the socket and help to form the blood clot.

Some third molars also known as wisdom teeth can’t be properly maintained due to their misaligned eruption pattern. The result of their improper positioning makes it difficult to clean and maintain the area around them.

To avoid such problems, the decision may be made to remove the tooth.

Once the site is thoroughly numbed the dentist will need to expose and remove the tissues that overlie the impacted tooth.

By sectioning the tooth into smaller parts it improves the dentist’s ability to remove the entire tooth through a smaller opening, minimizing the amount of bone that needs to be removed to take out the tooth and thereby helping to reduce recovery time.

When teeth are lost significant bone loss over time can occur in the sites due to a lack of bone over top of vital structures such as nerves running through the lower jaw.

The ability to place a dental implant in these areas becomes a real challenge when there is tooth loss. In the upper jaw bone loss can occur under the sinus, this loss of bone prohibits the placement of an implant; without the aid of a bone graft sometimes the tooth is infected before it is removed and that infection can also result in a loss of bone.

The need to extract a tooth can be due to several reasons. In this example plaque and tartar the primary causes of gum disease have been left unchecked If oral hygiene is neglected can lead to the loss of attachment, pain and mobility, and the eventual need for extraction of the tooth.

Despite the need to extract a tooth, dentistry offers many tooth replacement options to bring the bike back into proper balance and function.

When considering where to place dental implants, cases where there has been excessive bone loss or a lot of time has passed since the loss of teeth may lead to narrow and then of the remaining ridge of bone to properly secure any implants.

In these situations bone must be added as a separate procedure prior to placing the implants. The bone is added, stabilized with the membrane and time is given for the bone graft to integrate. After integration of the new bone implants may be placed.

When a tooth is removed the hole that is left is called the extraction socket.

A bone graft may be placed into the extraction socket to preserve the bone in the area for a future dental implant. The bone graft may be covered by a membrane and the tissue sutured over it.

After approximately three months the procedure may have limited the amount of bone loss thus providing a stable thickness of bone for placement of an implant.

After a tooth is removed there is often some bone loss in the area. This may result in a change in the way the area looks.

The bone can end up being thinner or there can be a loss of height. The loss of bone may continue over time resulting in lack of stabilization of the lips and facial structures. It can also cause problems for future restorative options, such as dental implants. Inadequate thickness or width of bone makes it difficult to obtain full coverage when placing a dental implant.