Protecting Your Smile With A Tooth Extraction

While our crowns and fillings are meant to treat issues and preserve your tooth, sometimes to protect your smile from discomfort and major complications, you may need an extraction. In today’s blog, your Austin, MN, dentists will discuss the benefits of an extraction, and how we make sure the procedure is comfortable.

When We Prescribe Tooth Extraction

Basically, we suggest this for issues that cannot be addressed with a restoration, and that could cause problems for your smile down the road. For example, a severely damaged tooth, or one with a very advanced case of tooth decay or infection. Other issues include impacted teeth, ones loosened by gum disease, or if we just need to make room to reposition the teeth as part of orthodontic treatment. However, the most common reason is to address your wisdom teeth. Also known as third molars, these are up to four new molars that erupt in the rear of the mouth in our late teens and early 20s. For many, there isn’t enough room for them, so they only partially erupt, known as an impaction, and could cause infection, misalignment, damaged teeth, and discomfort. To preserve your smile, we could remove them entirely before they even erupt!

The Removal Process

First, we will take a series of clear and detailed digital images and x-rays of your smile. We view these instantly chairside, and take a close look to identify the teeth requiring removal, and make sure we do so while avoiding sensitive nerve tissues. The procedure begins with our team administering a numbing agent and dental sedation, so you enter a calm and comfortable state with little to no memory of the procedure, even though you remain conscious. We open the gums above the wisdom teeth to access them, and then remove them gently with forceps. We suture the site closed and provide detailed aftercare instruction to facilitate a complication-free healing period. We then remove the sutures in a follow-up visit.

Replacing Missing Teeth

While wisdom teeth will not need to be replaced, having a tooth removed due to injury or infection, or possibly disease, could leave behind a gap that impacts the alignment of the smile and the balance of your bite, making issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding) more likely. To replace them, we could discuss bridges, or our advanced dental implants, so you enjoy a full smile cone again. If you have any questions about the extraction or tooth replacement process, then contact our team today.

Do You Have Questions About Oral Surgery?

Our team wants to help you enjoy optimal oral health and avoid complications. For more information on our oral surgical procedures, contact Potach and Mitchel Dental in Austin, MN, today at 507-437-6312.