Dental Extractions

Dental extractions are the most common surgical procedure in the United States. You might benefit if you have cavities, an impacted tooth, or another severe oral health problem. At SolidSMILES Dental in Lewisville, Texas, general dentist Hiral Patel, DDS, has more than 10 years of experience performing dental extractions. She often pairs extractions with bone graft placement to preserve the jaw bone and improve oral health. Call SolidSMILES Dental to schedule a dental extraction appointment, or book your visit online today. 

What are dental extractions?

A dental extraction is an outpatient procedure that removes a tooth from its socket. 

Dr. Patel tries to preserve natural teeth whenever possible, but sometimes, restorative dental procedures, like crowns and fillings, aren’t enough to make lasting repairs. Extracting a severely damaged or decaying tooth reduces your risk of future complications and promotes good oral health.

When are dental extractions needed?

Dr. Patel uses dental extractions to treat various oral health problems, including:

• Severe tooth decay
• Impacted teeth (teeth unable to break through the gum line)
• Crowded teeth
• Severe gum disease (periodontitis)
• Fractured teeth

Sometimes, Dr. Patel uses dental extractions to manage dental injuries, like tooth luxation (a loose permanent tooth).

Are there different types of dental extractions?

At SolidSMILES Dental, Dr. Patel provides two types of dental extractions:

Simple dental extractions

During a simple extraction, Dr. Patel numbs your mouth with a local anesthetic and uses dental forceps to gently loosen your tooth and remove it from its socket. Afterward, she packs the empty tooth socket with gauze and provides recovery instructions.

Surgical dental extractions

Dr. Patel uses surgical extractions to remove impacted teeth (teeth unable to break through the gum line). During this procedure, she numbs your mouth with a local anesthetic, makes a small incision in your gum line, and separates your impacted tooth into several pieces. 

Dr. Patel removes each piece of your tooth and fills the empty socket with a bone graft (a piece of healthy bone tissue). The bone graft preserves your tooth socket and prevents bone loss so that you can get dental implants or another type of restoration in the future.

What is recovery like after tooth extractions?

It’s normal to experience mild bleeding, swelling, and discomfort after tooth extractions. These symptoms typically improve within 48-72 hours, but depending on how many teeth were pulled, it might take longer.

During your recovery, keep your extraction site clean, take your prescribed medications, and avoid strenuous activity for at least two days. Likewise, avoid drinking with a straw, and don’t bite down on your empty socket. Avoid crunchy foods for about a week. 

Dr. Patel makes personalized recovery recommendations to speed up healing and reduce your risk of complications.

Call SoldSMILES Dental to schedule a dental extraction consultation or book your appointment online today.