Sometimes when your teeth become badly damaged or are too crowded you need to have the affected teeth extracted, or pulled out. Teeth extraction may be performed by a dentist or oral surgeon, depending on the training of the dentist and the complexity of the tooth extraction. One of the most common types of tooth extraction is wisdom tooth extraction, since wisdom teeth often do not come out properly from the gums or people do not have enough space for theses teeth to fit comfortably in their mouths.
During a tooth extraction, the dentist or oral surgeon will numb the area with a local anesthetic. In cases where the extraction is complicated and multiple teeth are involved a general anesthetic may be used instead. Once the area is numb, the tooth is extracted. This may involve cutting into the gum and jaw bone, which makes it so you may need stitches to close this wound. This is more often the case if the tooth is impacted and hasn’t fully come out of the jaw bone. The tooth may also be broken into pieces to make it easier to get out. In some cases small bits of bone are left behind and gradually work their way out of your gums. This is nothing to be worried about.
After the extraction is over, your dentist will tell you how to care for the socket so that it heals properly. He may prescribe antibiotics to help prevent infection. Continue to brush and floss your other teeth, but avoid rinsing vigorously. Eat only soft foods, and avoid foods like nuts that could easily get caught in the socket. Do not use a straw to drink or smoke for a day or two to avoid dislodging the blood clot that covers the opening of the socket. This could make the healing process take longer. You can expect to have a small amount of bleeding and some pain once the anesthetic wears off. You may take some pain medication to help with this, and use ice packs to limit any inflammation, which could make the pain worse.
