Tooth extraction
Tooth extraction is one of the most common oral surgical procedures. There can be many reasons for tooth extraction, such as widespread dental cavities, advanced periodontitis, i.e. disease of the connective tissue of the tooth, or accidents. Wisdom teeth causing symptoms are also often removed.
You can make an appointment online or by calling 09 838 7030.
When do you need to seek treatment?
Contact your dentist if you experience dental pain that wakes you up or prevents you from falling asleep. The pain may feel throbbing and may worsen when eating hot or cold food. Fever combined with dental symptoms is also a reason to contact the dentist.
Tooth extraction may sometimes be needed to treat severely ill people. If a tooth in poor condition poses a risk to the patient's general health and the tooth cannot be saved in any other way, it needs to be removed.
Tooth extraction as a procedure
The procedure starts by numbing the area to be treated with an anesthetic. In a regular tooth extraction case, the tooth is removed with removal tools. The tooth is detached from the surrounding tissue that holds the tooth in place first. The dentist then removes the tooth with tooth extraction tongs. Tooth extraction can also be performed surgically.
The removed tooth can most often be replaced with an implant or some other prosthetic solution. Tell your dentist about your wishes regarding the tooth replacement.
After the tooth extraction
After tooth extraction, a gauze pad is placed over the removed tooth for about 15-30 minutes to stop the bleeding and help the blood clot to form in the tooth extraction pit. It allows the tooth extraction pit to heal and new bone to form under the gums. After removing the tooth, there may be a lot of bleeding in the extraction pit, so it is recommended to keep the gauze pad on top of the pit as needed. Cold treatment on the cheek surface can help stop the bleeding.
After tooth extraction, the patient should wait two hours before eating and drinking. Contact with the extraction pit should be avoided. If the pit begins to bleed, you can put a gauze fold back on it for a while. You can take painkillers for the pain after the extraction procedure On the day of tooth extraction, soft foods can be eaten when the effect of anesthesia has worn off. However, hot drinks and food should be avoided to decrease the risk of bleeding.
Going to the sauna after tooth extraction
The sauna should be avoided after a tooth extraction for about a day in the case of a regular extraction procedure. Going to the sauna accelerates bood circulation and therefore increases the risk of bleeding. If the tooth is removed surgically, going to the sauna should be avoided for about three days, so that the extraction pit has time to form a blood clot and healing can properly begin. Also, all other physical strain and other straining activities should be avoided for a few days after tooth extraction.
When can you drink alcohol after a tooth extraction?
Because of the risk of bleeding, alcohol should be avoided for about a week after tooth extraction. Alcohol stimulates blood circulation and may increase the risk of bleeding. In addition, all carbonated beverages are poor options in terms of the bleeding risk.
Depending on the difficulty of the tooth extraction procedure, it is advisable to avoid drinking alcohol for 3-7 days. After tooth extraction, your dentist will give more detailed and individual instructions for proceeding after the extraction.
Replacing the removed tooth
The removed tooth should be replaced as soon as possible. See the options for tooth replacement with a dental implant or prosthetic options. You can book an appointment online or by calling us 09 838 7030.