You might not be aware of it, but smiling provides many benefits to a person’s life. It increases our mood-enhancing hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, and endorphins, which help in reducing blood pressure, stress, and other types of pain. Smiling also makes you seem approachable and friendly to the people around you.
Having a healthy set of teeth will make you more confident to smile. Regularly brushing your teeth, flossing, and going to your dentist maintains the health of your teeth. By not doing so, your teeth might decay and be subject to extraction. This article discusses the things you need to know about tooth extraction.
Tooth Extraction
Tooth extraction is a dental procedure used to remove a tooth from its dental socket. Dentists can still repair minor dental problems. But in unfortunate circumstances, some teeth problems are so bad that your dentist recommends them to be removed to avoid further damage.
If you’re in Brisbane or somewhere nearby, you should visit a dentist nearby. Whether it’s a dental checkup or the best Brisbane tooth extraction service, visiting a dentist at least once or twice a year is a must.
Reasons For Tooth Extraction
Being subject to tooth extraction by your dentist might be caused by various reasons. Some are repaired in their early stages by undergoing dental treatments, such as filling or crowning. Below are examples of dental problems that might lead to the removal of your tooth.
Wisdom Tooth
The wisdom tooth, or teeth because there are four, is located at the corners of your top and bottom set your teeth. These teeth usually grow for those between 17-25 years of age, and some don’t even have these. They become a problem whenever they turn out to be impacted, where the tooth grows at an abnormal angle that causes pain and infection.
Decay or Infection
The buildup of tartar and plaque causes tooth decay. These make the teeth weaker and more brittle when left untreated. Tooth decay will eventually lead to infection, which will cause redness, swelling, and pain. A dentist will recommend you for tooth extraction when it reaches this point.
Overcrowding
There is a case where a person has too many teeth. Just like the wisdom tooth, overcrowding may also lead to impaction. It is why it is essential to regularly visit your dentist to anticipate and extract the teeth that are growing abnormally before it even surfaces.
Injury
Injury or trauma is caused by accidents, such as getting punched, car accidents, or falling off something that might have affected your teeth. Only the teeth that can’t be saved anymore and can cause infection will be extracted. It is one of the reasons why some athletes wear a mouthguard.
Types of Tooth Extraction
There are two ways that a dentist might extract your tooth; this will depend on the location and damage of your tooth.
Simple Extraction
The most frequent option that a dentist will use is a simple extraction. When the tooth to be removed is visible in your mouth, this method is applied. The procedure is straightforward; the dentist will numb the area before extracting the tooth using dental forceps.
Surgical Extraction
On the other hand, surgical extraction is used for more complex teeth problems. For example, cases such as a broken tooth inside the gums that have not yet surfaced require this procedure. General dentists can do this, but it is more common for oral surgeons to perform a surgical extraction.
How to Prepare For An Extraction
Your mind and body must be ready before undergoing tooth extraction. It will help you go through the procedure if you are nervous and recover faster after it. In addition, good sleep the night before the procedure will benefit you. Also, it is advised to avoid smoking if you are a smoker for at least twelve hours before the extraction.
What to Do After The Extraction
After any medical, or in this case dental procedure, people always rush into recovery. Tooth extraction, including the simple procedure, still requires a time of rest after. Strenuous activities after the extraction are still prohibited. Moreover, it is advised to avoid smoking because it slows down the healing process.
Your dentist might prescribe painkillers to you after the procedure. It is normal to feel pain after, but applying an ice pack on your cheeks might help reduce the pain, as well as the swelling. Staying away from eating solid foods is also recommended to avoid swelling and infection.
Takeaway
It is essential to understand the things to do before and after tooth extraction, for it helps the patient recover faster. But it is more important to take care of your teeth in the first place to avoid undergoing this procedure. Your smile serves as one of your assets, and healthy teeth give you the confidence to show it to the rest of the world.
