Dr. Matthew Bridges provides restorative dentistry and emergency appointments in our Duncan OK dental office. Call (580) 255-4880 today or make an appointment through our website.

Why You Shouldn’t Ignore a Toothache

If there’s one ultimate truth in dentistry, it’s that toothaches don’t get better on their own. Headaches? Yes. Sprained ankles? Yes. Even a case of food poisoning will work itself out if you give the body the rest and care it needs. Cavities are another story. Once a hole has formed in your tooth enamel, the body cannot repair that hole. After the teeth cut through the gums, there’s no way to “regrow” enamel. It may take many months, or even years, but eventually a cavity is going to get bigger and become more painful. Eventually, if too much of the tooth has been damaged, we may not be able to save it, and the only treatment will be a dental extraction.

There are other conditions besides tooth decay that can result in a toothache, of course. Gum recession can cause the roots to become sensitive, for example. A deep crack or fracture can also cause pain. However, even if there’s no cavity present, that doesn’t mean you won’t develop one. Cracks make teeth more vulnerable to decay. When left unrestored, they will only worsen until the tooth becomes too damaged, structurally, to be saved.

The Best Way to Prevent a Dental Extraction

If you have a problem tooth, the best way to prevent losing it is to seek help as early as possible. The sooner you bring us the tooth, the greater the odds we’ll be able to restore it with a filling, root canal treatment, or dental crown. Avoiding the problem will never make it “go away.”

When a cavity extends into the enamel, we can remove the bacteria and decayed tooth matter conservatively and apply a filling to restore the tooth’s structure. If you are already feeling pain, however, there’s a good chance the decay has reached the dentin or the pulp chamber. When a cavity extends into the pulp chamber, a root canal becomes necessary to prevent the infection from traveling to the bloodstream. If much of the upper portion of the tooth has been damaged, a dental crown can be applied to replace and protect the part of the tooth you see above the gum line.

If You Need a Dental Extraction

No one wants to lose a permanent tooth, but there are several ways to replace a tooth if a dental extraction is needed. It’s really not the end of the world—and dental extractions are fast and comfortable at Chisholm Trail Smile Center. Bridgework and dental implants can replace a missing tooth, so your smile and chewing power can stay intact.

Bring Us Your Toothaches

If you or a family member has a painful tooth, contact our Duncan OK office to make an appointment. We provide gentle laser dentistry that makes treatment lass traumatic, and offer sedation option for patients with dental anxiety. Call (580) 255-4880 today or make an appointment through our website.

The post Don’t Let a Toothache Turn into a Dental Extraction! appeared first on Chisholm Trail.

Regardless of the cause, no one wants to hear that they’re going to need a tooth removed! Losing a permanent tooth always feels like a loss, but the good news is that it clears the way for better oral health. Plus, if you have been in constant pain due to a deep cavity, you will be very relieved when the problem tooth is finally out! If you are looking at a possible dental extraction, it’s good to know what to expect afterwards, in both the short-and the long-term.

Getting a Dental Extraction

Most extractions of erupted teeth are a fairly straightforward procedure. If the tooth is in one piece, the process will probably take only a few minutes. Simple extractions usually require only a local anesthetic, and you can usually resume eating soft foods on the same day. If your tooth is unerupted, impacted, or has separated into more than one piece, however, it may require oral surgery to remove it. During your consultation, we will take x-rays of the affected tooth and let you know what to expect.

After the procedure, you may experience some bleeding from the extraction site. We will provide you with some gauze to bite down on, to encourage the blood to clot. In the first hours after an extraction, you should avoid all sucking, spitting, smoking, or chewing. Replace the gauze if you are still experiencing bleeding after the first 45 minutes and try to use your mouth as little as possible. With time and rest, the bleeding should stop. (Call us if it does not!)

Do not try to touch or clean the extraction site for the first day. You may brush your teeth as usual, but take care not to irritate the site of your extraction. The more you can leave it alone, the quicker it will heal. If you are experiencing any sensitivity, recommended doses of over-the-counter NSAID-type painkillers (ibuprofen or naproxen) can usually help you manage the pain.

Replacing A Single Lost Tooth

After your mouth has had a chance to heal, make another appointment and we’ll tell you about your options for replacing the missing tooth. Some patients make the mistake of thinking they don’t need to have the tooth replaced (“I have plenty more teeth I can use…”) but the truth is that it does need to be replaced.

When a gap is created in the mouth, it can cause a number of changes to your bite and alignment that make you more likely to lose more teeth. As time passes, nearby teeth start to shift inward toward the open space, which can upset how your teeth fit together when you bite and chew. Ultimately this can cause some teeth to endure more damage from normal use; this may lead to teeth becoming cracked or worn down. It can also cause changes in your bite that may lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, which can cause painful symptoms.

Don’t let a dental extraction lead you to lose more teeth in the future. A dental bridge or dental implant and crown can help you maintain proper tooth alignment and give you back the function you lost.

Call us to make an appointment and we’ll help you decide which type of restoration is right for you. Call (580) 255-4880 after your dental extraction (Duncan OK) or schedule an appointment online to replace your missing tooth.

Chisholm Trail Smile Center – Dental Extraction Duncan, OK

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Extractions may also be needed when gum tissue has been damaged by gum disease. Just like a tree cannot stand when the soil has eroded from its roots, a tooth is not sustainable if the gum tissue supporting it has been destroyed.

Many patients take the word “extraction” hard, but the process is very common, and usually goes very fast. The best part is that there are many ways to replace lost teeth, and we will always explain your options fully, so you can make an informed decision.

How an Extraction Works

There are two types of extraction. A simple extraction removes a tooth that is fully erupted and usually in one piece. These types of extractions are often needed when an infection has developed below the tooth or a root canal has failed and cannot be fixed. More complex extractions may be needed if a tooth is not yet erupted (such as with wisdom teeth) or has broken into more than one piece. Complex extractions are usually performed by an oral surgeon, as it may be necessary to cut and suture the gum tissue to remove all the pieces of the tooth.

In most cases of a single tooth requiring extraction, Dr. Matthew Bridges will perform the procedure in his office using a local anesthetic. This process usually only takes a couple of minutes and causes little, if any, sensitivity.

Step 1: Numb the Area – Dr. Bridges will inject an anesthetic to ensure you feel no painful sensations during the extraction. He will not proceed with the process until you both are satisfied that the anesthetic has taken effect.

Step 2: Loosen the Tooth – Using a device called an elevator, Dr. Bridges will loosen the tooth from the dental ligaments in the socket. A pair of extraction forceps allows him to move the tooth back and forth until it is loose enough to come out easily.

Step 3: Removing the Tooth – At this point the tooth has been loosened so well that you will not feel any strong pressure when the tooth comes out. You may hear a sound indicating the tooth has “left the building,” however.

Step 4: Caring for the Socket – Dr. Bridges will examine the tooth to make sure it has come out in one piece, and will then apply a gauze pad to stanch any bleeding that occurs. Some patients do not bleed very much, while others may need to be watched for a short period to make sure the blood clots.

After the extraction, you will be given additional gauze to use if you experience any bleeding after you leave the office. Bite down on the gauze at ten-minute intervals to allow a clot to form. Do not suck through a straw or smoke cigarettes, as this may interfere with the blood clotting process. If you still have bleeding several hours after the extraction, call our office at 580-255-4880 and let us know.

What You Can Expect after the Extraction

After the extraction, you should not expect much sensitivity from the socket. Any pain can usually be managed with over-the-counter painkillers, such as Advil or Tylenol. In fact, if the tooth was causing you pain, you will be relieved that it has now come to an end!

Take care to avoid irritating the gum tissue for the next couple of days. You may brush your teeth as usual, but take care not to brush the gum tissue at the site of the extraction.

The Good News!

Now that your problem tooth has been extracted, the good news is that now you can look into tooth replacement options. Generally speaking, there are two ways to replace a single missing tooth, a dental bridge or a dental implant. Set up an appointment with Dr. Bridges to discuss tooth replacement and we will explain the benefits of each option.

What’s important is that you do, indeed, replace your missing tooth in a timely fashion. Why? Leaving a gap in your teeth can cause your other teeth to shift out of their proper alignment. This may make them more vulnerable to cracking and breaking and increases the odds that you will lose more teeth in the future. It can also lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction, which can cause painful symptoms, such as headaches and jaw pain.

Contact our Duncan, OK dental office at 580-255-4880 to learn more about extractions and tooth replacement.

The post Making the Last Resort Comfortable: Dental Extraction appeared first on Chisholm Trail.