Extraction
1. Tooth extraction
Tooth Extraction is Painful? Think of Guardian Dental Care
Permanent teeth do not always live up to their name. In many instances, adults do have to have a tooth extraction procedure done. Though it sounds very disturbing, we at Guardian Dental Care try and make this experience as smooth for you as possible.
The first thing to understand is the reason why one may need to have a tooth extraction procedure done.
- Infection: Dental infection generally occurs inside the cavity of a particular tooth and in most cases can be treated by root canal (RCT) procedures. In case the infection is worse and the tooth cannot be restored through RCT, extraction is the only option that remains.
- Crowding: For orthodontic purposes, to realign teeth and to improve the cosmetic value of the dentition, sometimes a tooth or two may need to be extracted from a crowded alignment.
- Risk of infection: For patients whose immune system is compromised (due to chemotherapy, HIV etc.) a dental infection cannot be risked and therefore tooth extraction is considered a viable option.
- Periodontal disease: If a client is suffering from a disease that involves decay of the bone or gum area, it may cause the tissue around a tooth to become loose. In such cases extraction is recommended.
A normal tooth extraction procedure begins with applying local anaesthesia to the area from where the tooth will be pulled. Sometimes when more teeth are being pulled, the dental surgeon may recommend general anaesthesia. In some cases when the tooth is problematic to remove, the tooth will be split and taken out in pieces.
Soluble stitches are put in to sew back the gum over the now-bleeding and empty socket. A gauze pad is placed and the patient is asked to bite down on it to stop the bleeding. In the next 24 hours after a tooth extraction, the patient is advised to take rest, apply ice and to eat soft foods.
2. Impacted wisdom teeth
Want to get rid of impacted wisdom teeth? Visit us at Guardian Dental Care
Wisdom teeth are the teeth most commonly missing in adults as they have the worst time coming out normally and hence have to be extracted. It is not uncommon to hear the dentist say that the wisdom tooth does not have the space in the gum line to sprout out to its full size. This problem is known as an impacted wisdom tooth, where the crowding of the other teeth leaves little or no space for the wisdom tooth to make a proper appearance thereby causing pain and discomfort.
If the wisdom tooth gets trapped in the jawbone or the gum, not only can it cause a lot of pain, but it can start eating away at the roots of other teeth nearby causing dental damage. There are several degrees of impacted wisdom teeth, depending on where the teeth are placed within the jaw.
Soft tissue impaction takes place when the crown of the tooth has penetrated through the jaw bone, but the gum covering is still shielding a part of the tooth.
When the tooth has partially come in, but a portion of the tooth remains buried in the jawbone, this is known as partial bony impaction.
Complete bony impaction occurs when the tooth is entirely inside the jawbone and no part of it is visible above the gum line.
Impacted wisdom teeth do not always show symptoms, meaning one could have impacted teeth and not even realize it. Left untreated though, these can result in gum disease and tooth decay. In some rare cases, the infection from impacted wisdom teeth has also given rise to cysts and tumours.
The simplest intervention for an impacted tooth is extraction but this can be complex depending on the degree of tooth impaction. If a portion of the tooth has come out of the gum, the extraction proceeds normally. However, in cases where the tooth is embedded inside the gum or has not come out of the jaw bone, the dental surgeon will cut open the gum and remove the tooth bone to reach the root.
3. Infected wisdom teeth
Never ignore infected wisdom teeth. Get expert services
Wisdom teeth, also called the third molars make an appearance anywhere between 17-25 years of age in an individual’s life. There are a total of 4 wisdom teeth; two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw. Having one’s wisdom teeth grow is a sign of adulthood. However, in some cases, there can be problems and pain associated with this rite of passage. Pericoronitis is a dental infection that occurs when the gums around the wisdom tooth gets swollen and inflamed. What takes place is that the tooth comes out only partially from the gum and thereby creates pockets where bacterial infection develops.
Some common symptoms of an infected wisdom tooth are:
- Toothache
- Swelling of the gums and cheek around the infected area
- Bad taste and odour in the mouth due to leaking pus
- Difficulty in opening the mouth
- Fever due to infection
Some home remedies to try before seeing the dentist would include checking (with the tongue) to dislodge any food particle debris stuck around the area especially underneath a gum flap. Over the counter painkillers are useful to counter the pain of an infected wisdom tooth. Salt water gargles multiple times a day makes sure that the infection is contained.
Here at Guardian Dental Care, our dentists are experts at dealing with problems regarding the wisdom tooth. The first thing that a dentist will do is examine the wisdom tooth area carefully and if need be, take x-rays of the same. Checking for swollen or painful gums or gum flap is done during this time. In severe cases, a dental surgery is required whereby either the gum around the area is cut away and treated or the gum flap is removed. Once pericoronitis has been diagnosed, there are three ways forward:
- The entire wisdom tooth emerges naturally as it is supposed to
- The gum flap is removed to make space for the tooth
- The newborn wisdom tooth is extracted.
Sometimes low level lasers are used to deal with the pain of wisdom tooth infections.