What to Expect During an Emergency Tooth Extraction
Our emergency dentist in Wyoming, Michigan, will do everything in his power to save an injured or decayed tooth. But once we’ve exhausted all other options, he may recommend an emergency tooth extraction to avoid further health complications.
For example, Dr. Langellier may need to extract a tooth if the infection is too deep for a root canal to treat. At this point, extracting the tooth will help prevent the infection from spreading to the rest of your body.
Here’s what you can expect during an emergency tooth extraction.
Anesthesia
For a , Dr. Langellier will inject a local anesthetic into the soft tissue by the tooth we’ll extract. While you’ll feel a small pinch at first, this sensation will quickly give way to numbness. Once you’re numb and comfortable, Dr. Langellier will move onto the next step.
Dental Extraction
Our dentist will use a tool called an elevator to gently rock the tooth back and forth until it’s loose enough to extract. At that point, Dr. Langellier will use dental forceps to remove the tooth.
Next, Dr. Langellier will place a gauze pad over the extraction site. You’ll need to gently bite down to hold the gauze pad in place to reduce bleeding. The gauze pad will also help your body form a blood clot over the extraction site.
Recovery
In general, it’ll take a few days to recover after a tooth extraction. It’s important that you don’t do anything to disturb the blood clot that forms over the extraction site. Otherwise, you could develop a painful condition called , which exposes the underlying nerve and bone. This can lead to having an infection.
While recovering from dental extraction, we ask that you do NOT use a straw or smoke. This will help keep the blood clot intact while you heal. Also, it’s vital that you don’t rinse for 24 hours after extraction. While you can continue to brush and floss, you’ll need to avoid the extraction site and spit gently after you’re done.
Eat soft foods that require little to no chewing, such as yogurt and applesauce. As you heal, you’ll be able to reintroduce more foods into your diet.
Our dentist and his staff will give you more thorough directions after your appointment. But these are the basic instructions you can expect to follow during recovery.
Tooth Replacement
If you’ve recently lost a tooth, we’ll encourage you to schedule a follow-up visit with Dr. Langellier to explore your tooth replacement options. Bowtie Dental is proud to offer dental implants and dentures to our patients in Greater Grand Rapids.
Your teeth are held in place by their roots, the surrounding jawbone, the gums, and other teeth. This means that once you lose one tooth, your risk for losing more increases.
If left untreated, the body will start to absorb the minerals in the bone around the empty socket. Your remaining teeth will also start to tilt toward the open space and may even loosen and fall out.
The best solution is to replace missing teeth as soon as possible. Call Bowtie Dental to get started.
Request an Appointment with Us
Dr. Eric Langellier is an experienced emergency dentist in Wyoming, Michigan. He’s also accepting new patients and will do everything in his power to restore your smile and oral health. To schedule an emergency appointment, please call Bowtie Dental at (616) 532-9003. We offer same-day emergency care if you call us by 10 am on a day our office is open.