Have you ever heard of wisdom teeth? These additional molars could arrive in our late teens and early 20s, causing serious problems for the health and appearance of your smile. In order to avoid these complications, we may perform a safe and comfortable dental extraction. How will your Des Moines, IA, dentist remove your teeth and help you enjoy optimal oral health?
When We Extract Teeth
Ideally, we will remove these teeth before they even erupt. Doing so helps prevent the risk of a painful impaction, which can lead to discomfort, infection, damaged teeth, and misalignment. By taking the teeth out, you maintain your smile’s health and appearance. We also remove teeth that have developed severe and deep cavities and infections, or teeth that have major damage. If we’re correcting misalignment, in some cases removing a tooth may be needed to make room to reposition the rest of your smile. If teeth become loose due to periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease, we may need to remove them.
The Removal Process and Healing Period
We always start by administering a numbing agent to the area around the tooth, and then offering sedation to help you enter a calm and relaxed state. Next, we open the area above the teeth to gain access to them, removing them gently and suturing the area closed. If we’re removing a tooth that has already erupted due to damage or poor oral health issues, we will gently rock them free with forceps and again suture the area closed.
Afterward, you will need a friend or family member to drive you home, as the sedation will take time to wear off. We will offer detailed instructions for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing in the hours and days to follow. You will also attend follow-up visits so we can monitor your smile as it heals and remove the sutures.
Tooth Replacement Options
When we remove wisdom teeth, there is no need to replace them. But should you lose a tooth to decay, infection, or injury, you will suddenly have a gap in your smile. To fill this gap and prevent complications that arise as a result of missing teeth, we may provide a prosthetic. For example, minor tooth loss can be addressed with a bridge or single tooth dental implant. More severe cases may require a partial or full denture. If you have any questions, then contact our team today.
Does Your Tooth Need Removal?
If you have wisdom teeth or other issues that benefit from having a tooth extracted, then talk to our team about our restorative treatments. For more information on the extraction process, schedule a consultation with Dr. Burds by calling Gateway Dental Group in downtown Des Moines, IA, at (515) 244-9565.