Tooth Extractions – McKinney, TX

Our team at Oakbrook Dental & Orthodontics does everything we can to preserve your natural teeth and gums to safeguard your dental health. However, if you have an ache or infection in a tooth that’s too decayed or injured to be effectively repaired, we might recommend an extraction. Although it’s usually preferable to prevent problems to keep your smile happy and healthy, sometimes we must protect your grin by removing troublesome teeth.

Continue reading to learn more about why we might recommend an extraction, and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Reasons Why Tooth Extractions Are Necessary

It’s often in your best interests to preserve the teeth you were born with, but if it’s putting the rest of your oral health at risk, it may be best to remove the problem at its source. You might need to have a tooth extracted if:

• The structure of your tooth is too compromised to be filled or treated with a root canal or dental crown.
• Your teeth are too overcrowded for orthodontics to fit appropriately.
• You have remaining teeth that are in the way of a complete restoration like dentures.
• You have an impacted or partially erupted wisdom tooth.
• Your child’s tooth won’t fall out on its own to make space for a permanent one to grow.

The Process of Removing a Tooth

If you’re anxious that having your extraction will hurt, we’re here to set your mind at ease! Before we begin, we’ll apply a local anesthetic to your problematic tooth to numb the area. We can also provide sedatives for overly anxious patients to help you feel calm and relaxed throughout the procedure.

To remove an easily accessible tooth that’s not infected, we use a device called an ‘elevator’ to gently lift your tooth from the socket. Then, we grasp it with forceps and gently wiggle it free from your connective tissues.

More complex cases like impacted wisdom teeth often require a surgical extraction. This involves creating a small incision in your gums to access the tooth, which may need to be broken into smaller sections to be removed.

Tooth Extraction Aftercare

Once we have successfully erradicated your tooth, it’s imperative that a blood clot forms over the site to avoid a potentially painful complication called dry socket. Many post-op instructions aim to preserve this blood clot to expedite your healing.

Common directions shared after an extraction include:

• Take any prescription medications, like pain meds or antibiotics, exactly as directed.
• Rinse with warm salt water to gently disinfect your mouth in the first 24 hours. After that, it’s usually safe to resume brushing but be careful around the surgical site.
• Don’t smoke. The suction of pulling on a vape or cigarette can dislodge your blood clot. Plus, nicotine can suppress your immune system, so you’re more prone to infection and disease.
• Drink plenty of water directly from a cup because sucking on a straw can harm your blood clot.
• Avoid strenuous activities or exercises that elevate your heart rate or blood pressure to reduce swelling and inflammation.
• Prop your head up to sleep without additional blood pooling at the extraction site.