Tooth Extractions – Brookfield, WI
Losing One Tooth to Save the Rest
Extracting a tooth is never our first choice; we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you can keep your natural pearly whites as long as possible. Unfortunately, if the damage becomes too severe, there may be some cases where there’s no choice but to remove a tooth. Our trusted emergency dentist will help you stay calm and comfortable throughout tooth extractions at our Brookfield, WI dental office, which they’ll perform with unmatched expertise. Contact our dental office today to schedule a consultation to determine the best way to protect your smile.
Why Choose Elmbrook Family Dental for Tooth Extractions?
- Patient Comfort Comes First
- Nitrous Oxide Sedation Available
- Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments
Reasons for Tooth Extractions
- Extensive Decay: An untreated cavity can cause an infection that can spread from the root of the tooth to other parts of the body. Stopping a potential infection in its tracks is particularly important if your immune system has been compromised.
- Physical Trauma: Sometimes the tooth will be too badly broken to be repaired with a crown or another kind of restoration.
- Crowded Mouth: If your teeth are too big and crowded together, an extraction might be necessary before you can have orthodontic work done.
- Wisdom Teeth: Most of the time, there’s not enough room for wisdom teeth to safely erupt, leading to all kinds of oral health problems.
- Gum Disease: If gum disease has loosened your teeth, we may have no choice but to perform an extraction.
What is the Tooth Extraction Process?
We can use a local anesthetic and nitrous oxide sedation to keep you calm during the extraction process; this will make the surgery virtually pain free.
For simple extractions, which are performed on fully erupted teeth, an elevator will be used to loosen the tooth in question, and forceps will be used to remove it. For impacted teeth, surgery is required; we’ll make an incision in the gums and remove small amounts of bone until we can access the tooth. Sometimes, a particularly hard-to-remove tooth will need to be taken out in pieces.
Once the tooth is out, we’ll have you bite down on a gauze pad to stop the bleeding. A blood clot will form in the socket; it’s important that the clot remains in place, or else it could affect the healing process.
Aftercare Tips
You should relax for about 24 hours after your extraction and limit physical activity for a couple of days. You may take painkillers as prescribed to deal with any discomfort. For the first 24 hours, do not drink from a straw, spit forcefully, or rinse your mouth. After this first day, however, you can rinse with a saltwater solution to reduce the risk of infection. Plan to initially eat soft foods such as soup or applesauce while you recover.