Tooth Extractions - Westminster, CO
Tooth Extraction May Be
the Right Move for Your Smile
A Necessary Step to Restore Your Dental Health
Advanced gum disease, severe decay, or traumatic injury to a tooth can necessitate extraction. Severe gum disease can break down the ligaments holding teeth within the jaw and gums, so they loosen and often need to be extracted. When damage from a cracked or decayed tooth has impacted the dental pulp, a root canal can often save the tooth. Some people have limited room in their mouths, and as a result, adult teeth grow crooked.
This is nearly always the case with wisdom teeth (third molars), which causes them to be impacted. To get orthodontics to move other teeth into proper alignment, it may be necessary to pull one or two teeth before placing braces. At Standley Shores Dental Group, we’ll do everything we can to save your tooth, but a dental extraction in Westminster, CO, is sometimes the best solution. The good news is that pulling a troublesome tooth can eliminate your pain and other oral health problems.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth Extraction
Wisdom teeth are an additional set of molars that typically start to erupt during teenage years or young adulthood. The primary issue is that most people lack the room in their mouths to support them. As a result, problems can occur, such as infection, crooked teeth, pain, and/or damage to the jawbone. Although our dental team offers removal of wisdom teeth in Westminster, CO, more complex cases are typically referred to an oral surgeon.
Advantages of Tooth Extraction
- Eliminates infection and improves oral health
- Dramatically reduces or completely eliminates pain
- Prevents damage to other teeth and gums
- Enables orthodontics to be placed
- Allows permanent teeth to grow in properly
When Treatment Is Ineffective
We always strive to preserve a natural tooth, though in some cases, a severely infected or damaged tooth may not be treatable. When this happens, extraction is the best course of action to relieve your toothache and protect your overall dental health, as it will keep any infection from spreading. With the exception of wisdom teeth, most extracted teeth should be replaced. This is due to several factors. Jawbone tends to recede where there are gaps in your smile. You may find eating and speaking awkward after tooth loss. You may also be embarrassed by that gap in your smile.
To avoid all of those complications, we recommend some form of tooth replacement. Dentures and bridges are popular options that have been in use for many years. Patients who are looking for a dependably stable choice generally find it in dental implants. Dental implants look, feel, and function just like real teeth—and they’re built to last. They never develop decay, so they’re never likely to cause you a toothache. Sometimes tooth pain is the beginning of a new opportunity. Dental implants give you a second chance at a healthy tooth and a complete, attractive smile.
Recovery and Healing After a Tooth Extraction
After your tooth has been pulled, you’ll receive important postsurgical instructions with tips to manage any extraction-related pain or swelling and ensure proper healing. If residual pain persists after your extraction in Westminster, CO, we recommend taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen for a few days. If a blood clot hasn’t formed or becomes dislodged and you experience severe pain, call our office immediately. It’s likely you developed dry socket, an uncommon extraction complication that exposes sensitive bone and nerves. Treatment involves placing medicated gauze in the socket to ease your pain and repeating this step as needed. For a simple extraction, the healing process can take up to a week. For extractions on molars, wisdom teeth or any other type of surgical extraction, healing can take longer. In most cases, you should be able to resume moderate activities 24 hours after your procedure.
Why You Should Promptly Replace a Missing Tooth
It can be tempting to leave the empty space after getting a tooth pulled, but keep in mind a missing tooth can cause more than cosmetic problems. The empty space can cause surrounding teeth to shift and become misaligned. The first year after a tooth extraction, bone decreases by 25% and this progresses unchecked, which can lead to undesirable facial changes. If you postpone getting dental implants, you’ll likely need bone grafting. To ensure you can select from a full spectrum of tooth replacement options, we recommend scheduling a consultation at Standley Shores Dental Group as soon as possible after an extraction in Westminster, CO. Dental implants only require proper jawbone density to remain secure and strong. Once they integrate with your jawbone, the posts function like natural tooth roots and provide stimulation to keep the bone healthy. Dental bridges require modification of adjacent teeth and although they prevent shifting of adjacent teeth, they don’t prevent bone loss nor stimulate bone growth.