Tooth Extraction
Covington, WA
Tooth Extraction provided by Kyle S. Blair, DDS
in Covington, WA at Covington Family Dental
Sometimes there is no other option but to remove a tooth. Extractions are always the last resort for us, and we do all we can to preserve your natural teeth as long as possible.
One exception may be wisdom teeth, which don’t serve any purpose and are usually removed in the teenage or early adult years to prevent the teeth from becoming impacted.
At Covington Family Dental, we offer a safe environment for tooth extraction and our staff is trained to deal with this outpatient surgery.
Why Do I Need a Tooth Extraction?If you are about 17 years old and your wisdom teeth are coming in crooked, or there is not enough room in your mouth for them, we will need to take them out. Tooth extraction is a relatively routine outpatient surgery that we perform regularly.
When you grow older, you may need to have teeth removed because of decay or other problems that will cause future issues. In some other cases, people who already have missing teeth want to have all their natural teeth removed to install dental implants.
In other instances, a young child may need to get a tooth removed when his or her baby teeth don’t fall out, and the permanent tooth is coming out.
How are Extractions Done?Initially, you will come in for a consultation to establish if there is a need for extraction. Once we determine that this is the only option, we will schedule time for the surgery. This is an outpatient procedure done in our office under local or general anesthesia.
The length of the procedure depends on how many teeth are getting pulled and what their condition is.
First, we numb the area or put you to sleep. Then our surgeon makes an incision in the gum tissue and grabs the tooth with special forceps. In some cases, we may need to divide the tooth into sections to make the extraction easier on you and our doctor. This usually happens with wisdom teeth that are impacted or infected.
After we remove the tooth or teeth, we clean the site thoroughly and put in one or more stitches so that the healing process can start.
What to Expect After a Tooth ExtractionWe will give you clear, step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for the surgery and how to take care of yourself afterward. You MUST follow these instructions carefully and precisely to ensure a fast recovery.
Bleeding is normal and expected in any surgery, but we will have it under control by the time you leave our office to go home. We will place a piece of folded gauze on the site, and we ask that you bite down on it for several minutes. Blood shouldn’t be gushing out.
It is essential that you don’t rinse your mouth or drink out of a straw on the day of the surgery. This will allow the blood clot to form and start healing the site. If the blood clot gets dislodged, you will be in severe pain, and this will set your recovery back.
If you have any questions about tooth extractions, please call Covington Family Dental at 253.499.6155 , and we will be happy to answer them.
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