Many patients think that tooth extraction treatments are painful or uncomfortable. However, removing problematic teeth ultimately prevents overcrowded, crooked, decayed, or damaged teeth. At Coastal General Dentistry, we provide painless dental extractions as a general dental treatment for our patients.
Dental extractions are the best option for patients with impacted wisdom teeth or decay. Tooth decay that has destroyed the structure of the tooth enamel is a serious issue. For example, dead teeth can damage gum tissue and lead to gum disease. Sometimes removing a tooth is the best move for your oral health.
In addition, removing problem teeth improves the overall health of your smile! Dr. Cappy Sinclair and Dr. Mark Reichley offer tooth extraction procedures in our Virginia Beach dental office.
Tooth Extractions in Virginia Beach, VA
Dentists categorize dental extractions as simple or complex. Simple extractions remove teeth that are above the gum line. We use local anesthesia to quickly and easily remove these teeth.
We remove teeth at or below the gum line during complex tooth extractions. Our team uses dental sedation to calm patients for these type of extractions.
We may conduct surgical tooth extractions for our patients that are replacing their teeth with dental implants or a dental bridge. Surgical extractions are similar to complex extractions.
The Tooth Extraction Process
To begin, our dentist will numb your mouth using local anesthetic. Then our dentist will gently rock the affected tooth back and forth to loosen its grip on your gums. Next, he will pull the tooth out of its’ socket. After completing extraction treatment, we place gauze at the extraction sites to help create blood clots.
Please let us know if the clots dislodge, as this can cause a dry socket. A dry socket exposes the bone and nerves, which can cause severe tooth pain and discomfort. Our team also prescribes pain medication to patients for a smooth healing process.
Patients will need to follow a soft diet and avoid extraction sites as they heal for several days. If you experience bleeding at your extraction site days after treatment, call our office. We can provide you with prompt emergency care to stop the bleeding and find the source of the problem.
The cost of tooth extractions near you can vary significantly depending on many factors. These factors can include:
- The type of tooth your dentist is extracting.
- The complexity of the extraction procedure.
- The number of affected teeth.
- Any additional services, such as surgery or antibiotic treatments.
Some procedures, like a wisdom tooth extraction, can be more expensive depending on the complexity. For example, the number of teeth you need to remove can increase the tooth extraction cost.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Wisdom teeth are the last permanent teeth that emerge in the mouth. These teeth usually appear in patients’ late teens or early twenties. However, they can also emerge later in life. You will usually know when your wisdom teeth are coming in when you feel pain behind your back molars.
More often than not, wisdom teeth do not have enough room in the mouth to erupt properly. As a result, wisdom teeth can dig into the molars or grow at odd angles. Please contact us if you notice your teeth coming in or feel tooth pain.
Although not every patient will need their wisdom teeth removed. We encourage our patients to visit our office regularly so we can keep track of them.
Dental visits are important because you can’t always see everything that’s going on in your mouth without x-rays. We use x-rays to see if patients have emerging dental problems, including impacted wisdom teeth that haven’t erupted yet. Schedule your wisdom tooth removal today and let us give you a pain-free smile.
Tooth Extraction FAQs
Is wisdom teeth removal always necessary?
In most cases, it is necessary to remove your wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth can create a host of dental problems down the road if you do not remove them. Even if your wisdom teeth are not causing you issues, they can contribute to other issues. For example, they can cause crooked teeth, unexplained tooth pain, jaw issues and more.
Is it better to remove or repair a damaged tooth?
Any dentist will tell you to repair your damaged tooth before extracting it. Only in certain and severe cases will your dentist recommend tooth removal. This is because the best thing for your body is to keep as many natural teeth as possible. Natural teeth are the best line of defense your mouth has against disease, bacteria, and function.
Can I go to work after tooth extraction?
Your dentist does not recommend going back to work the same day you had a tooth extracted. You need to save some time to let the tooth socket heal. During this time do not eat hard foods, stay away from smoking, using straws, and chewing sticky foods. Give yourself two to three days for your socket to heal before returning to work.
How long should I rest after tooth extraction?
After a tooth extraction we recommend that patients take at least 24-72 hours off or work to rest. The most important thing patients can do to help their recovery process after a tooth extraction is to rest.
How can I make my tooth extraction heal faster?
You can make your tooth extraction site heal faster by sticking to a sleep schedule and rest as much as possible. Stick to a soft food diet for the first couple of days following your extraction. This will help healthy blood clots to form and speed up healing. Patients should also try to avoid drinking through a straw and smoking as this may lead to dry socket.
How long do teeth hurt after tooth extraction?
After a tooth extraction patients teeth and gums may become swollen and painful. This is normal and is part of the healing process. The worst pain is typically in the first few days following the extraction. The pain will go down and patients will begin to feel normal again after about 24 hours.
Schedule a Dental Consultation
Do you need your wisdom teeth removed? Are chronic toothaches and decay impacting the health and comfort of your smile? Contact our dental office for comfortable and affordable tooth extraction treatments today at 757-216-9914.
You can also request a dental appointment with our dental team online. Please let us know if you have further questions for our dental team. They will always be happy to assist you.