RED BANK TEETH EXTRACTIONS
In some situations, your doctor may recommend that a tooth be removed, or “extracted.” While this may sound daunting, the procedure begins in exactly the same fashion as a routine dental filling. Local anesthetic is administered in the work area, insuring that you are comfortable and pain-free throughout the procedure. Nitrous oxide administration is available in our office by our Red Bank dentists, which can help to ease anxiety and put you at ease during the procedure (must be medically suitable for nitrous oxide administration). Call us at (732) 530-1003 to see if a tooth extraction is right for you.
Dr. Michael Santo, Dr. Miles Santo, Dr. Katelyn Domingues, Dr. Meaghan McCormick, Dr. Miles Santo, or Dr. Steven Reff will provide you with a comprehensive set of instructions to help you through the healing and recovery process, but here are a few things to keep in mind.
You will experience some pain and discomfort for 2-3 days after your extraction. The extraction site may also bleed a bit, but prolonged or sustained bleeding is not normal. If you are bleeding a lot, schedule a follow-up at Santo Dental Group.
Most of your pain and discomfort should go away within a few days. After about a week, gum and bone tissue will begin to grow over the extraction site. At this time, your stitches may dissolve, or you may need to come into our Red Bank office to have them removed if non-dissolvable stitches were used.
It usually takes about two weeks to completely heal from having a tooth extracted, though some patients may recover more quickly. Bone and gum tissue will have grown over the area, and you should be free of pain, tenderness and discomfort.
The healing process starts with the formation of a blood clot in the extraction site. This blood clot is very important. You need to make sure that you do not dislodge it within the first several days post-extraction. Avoid doing things like brushing the area directly, spitting vigorously, or using straws. The blood clot forms a “scaffold” around which healthy tissue will begin to grow. If the blood clot is knocked away or displaced, you may experience a painful condition called “dry socket,” which can cause you a lot of pain and increase your risk of infection.
This clot will start forming within a few hours of your procedure. Until then, you may need to use gauze pads to absorb blood. Your Red Bank dentist may have also written you a prescription for a painkiller. If so, go fill the prescription right away, and take the medication as instructed.
Do
Don’t
Chewy or crunchy foods might be uncomfortable to eat and may damage your extraction site. For the first few days, you may also want to avoid eating very hot or very cold foods, which could cause pain and sensitivity.
As far as recommended foods, you will likely need to eat a diet consisting mostly of soft foods for a few days following the extraction. Stick to foods like:
Again, if you’re experiencing prolonged bleeding and pain, or suspect a dry socket, contact the team at Santo Dental Group and schedule a follow up appointment with your doctor. We can get you out of pain, determine what the issue is, and help you get back on track. Call today at (732) 530-1003 or visit us at 210 West Front Street, Suite 202, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
We look forward to meeting you. Call 732-530-1003 or schedule an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.