TOOTH EXTRACTION

If your tooth is severely damaged beyond repair, decayed or loose, your dentist may suggest extracting the tooth as a last resort. Don’t worry, we have plenty of options to replace the missing gap.

Reasons for a tooth extraction:

There are a lot of reasons why you may have a tooth extracted, these include:

  • Severe tooth decay

  • Damaged/broken tooth beyond repair

  • Loose tooth due to periodontal disease

  • Impacted tooth from trauma

  • Impacted wisdom tooth

  • Crowded teeth

stages of a tooth extraction

ASSESSMENT & TREATMENT PLANNING

Discuss the procedure of a tooth extraction

Take a detailed medical and dental history, including any medications or allergies you have

Discuss how to prepare for the procedure

Ask if you have any questions

TREATMENT

Provide local anaesthetic into the area around the teeth and gums

Widen the tooth socket to facilitate tooth removal

AFTERCARE

Provide gauze to bite on and stop the bleeding

Give advice on how to take care of the area for the next couple of days

Advise use of painkillers and may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection

aftercare instructions following an extraction

  • Avoid rinsing your mouth for the next 24h as we do not want to disturb the blood clot forming

  • No smoking or drinking for the next 24h

  • Brush teeth as normal but be careful of the extraction site to prevent dislodging the blood clot

  • After 24h rinse gently using warm salt water to keep the area clean

  • Stick to a soft diet for a couple of days

  • Bite down on some gauze or a handkerchief if you notice any bleeding

replacing a missing tooth

At Whitefield Dental, we offer several options to replace a missing tooth or gap. Our clinicians can discuss all the treatment options available to you and recommend which option is best suited to your needs. These options may include:

  • Dental implants - A gold standard long-term option of replacing a missing gap. Uses a grade 4 titanium screw which fuses into your bone providing a natural and seamless finish.

  • Dental bridge - a false tooth which is bridged/connected to a natural tooth to replace a missing gap.

  • Dentures - removable set of false teeth, made using acrylic or a metal framework suitable for replacing multiple gaps in the mouth

  • Your dentist will usually discuss the option of a tooth extraction as a last resort. We understand it may be a difficult decision to make, and will always offer you with treatment options to help replace any missing gaps

  • Dental extractions are done under local anaesthesia where the dentist will inject in and around the tooth and gums. This will allow for a pain-free procedure.

    Our clinicians are trained and committed to making your treatment as comfortable as possible. Please do not hesitate to voice any concerns with any of our clinicians during your appointment.

  • At Whitefield Dental, communication is everything. Please speak with our clinicians if you have any concerns regarding your treatment and would like to consider alternative routes to completing your treatment.

    This may involve dental sedation which helps a lot of our nervous patients. Click here to read more about how we care for nervous patients at Whitefield Dental

  • The local anaesthesia may take a couple of hours to wear off. If you are able to take painkillers, we recommend taking some before your anaesthesia wears off.

    Most people are able to back to their usual routine from the next day. For more complex surgical extractions, the recovery period may be a couple of days, especially if you have been given some stitches to help your gums heal.

    For your benefit and your gums, we always recommend going home and putting your feet up for the rest of the day.

    Our team will always be on call should you have any concerns or queries. We always follow up with a phone call the following day to see how you are doing.

  • The common complications involve:

    • Bleeding

    • Bruising

    • Swelling

    • Pain

    These are all normal symptoms to experience following a tooth extraction. Our clinicians will provide you with aftercare instructions to ensure you heal properly.

    In some cases, some patients may experience a dry socket. This is where the blood clot fails to develop or gets dislodged, causing pain and discomfort. If this is the case our clinicians can clean and treat the area to promote further healing of the area.