Tooth Extractions – Merrillville, IN
Safe Removal of Your At-Risk Teeth
While dentistry can often save damaged teeth, sometimes that just isn’t possible. A person’s tooth may be too worn or broken for salvage to work. Our practice suggests removal in those cases, as it minimizes the risk and harm to your smile. These tooth extractions in Merrillville preserve a patient’s oral health and keep it from getting worse. To learn more about them, please keep reading or schedule a visit to our office soon.
Reasons Why Tooth Extractions are Necessary
Our office never takes tooth extraction lightly. This treatment is a last resort – something we do when there's no other option. Drs. David and Kenneth Fried would rather save your teeth with restorative treatments like dental crowns, tooth-colored fillings, etc. That way, your natural tooth can keep working as the ideal tool for biting, chewing, and smiling.
Given these facts, we only perform tooth extractions in dire cases. We’ll suggest one if you suffer from one (or more) of the following:
- A tooth with an inoperable cavity
- Loss of the bone needed to support a tooth
- Broken teeth that can’t be put back together
- A rapidly-spreading tooth infection
The Process of Removing a Tooth
We’ll assess your tooth at your consultation to see how (or if) we should extract it. Based on our findings, we’ll confirm whether the removal will be simple or complex.
If the affected tooth is visible, our team will perform a simple extraction. This type goes smoothly once we numb the treatment site. In particular, it uses dental forceps to rock your tooth back and forth until it separates from your gums.
We’ll perform a complex extraction instead if the tooth hasn’t (fully) erupted. In that case, we’ll make an incision in your gums after we’ve numbed your mouth. Our team will then divide and extract the tooth into sections to reduce bone loss. From there, we’ll sew up the incision.
After either kind of extraction, our dentists will plan how to replace your missing tooth. Getting a new one would ensure you don’t suffer long-term tooth loss.
Tooth Extraction Aftercare
Since adult teeth should be permanent, your mouth must recover from the extraction process. Your treatment site will likely feel sore and achy during this healing period. That said, you can minimize these effects with the following aftercare tips:
- Twenty-four hours after the extraction, clean the treatment site with a saltwater rinse.
- Please don’t drink from a straw; its suction can dislodge your blood clot.
- Avoid delays in recovery by not smoking or spitting right after treatment.
- To manage any post-treatment aches, use store-bought pain relievers.
- Don’t chew near the extraction site while it heals.
By using the tricks above, you should heal from care nicely. You can then look into a number of tooth replacement options; a prosthetic would restore your smile, strengthen your bite, and more.
