Tooth Removal (Extraction)
Our dentist in Lebanon typically recommends preserving your natural teeth. Especially if they are structurally sound and capable of restoring with other therapies, such as a root canal, crown, or periodontal treatment. However, teeth can ultimately reach a point where they are no longer preservable and need to be removed for the best interest of your smile.
Some of the reasons why we may recommend a dental extraction include:
- Dental emergencies
- Painful toothaches
- Advanced periodontal disease
- Severe abscesses
- Aggressive tooth decay, wear, or breakage
Because extracting a tooth creates excess space in your smile, it’s important to replace your tooth in a timely manner. Otherwise, your neighboring and opposing teeth will drift out of alignment, creating overall bite discrepancies (which can lead to a host of other problems.) At Cartwright Dental, we offer various tooth replacement treatments—including dental implants—to help your smile look whole and healthy again. We will review the pros and cons of tooth removal ahead of time so that you can feel confident about your treatment decision.
Wisdom Teeth Evaluations
Concerned about your or your child’s wisdom teeth? Most wisdom teeth begin to erupt sometime during the teen years and are typically fully developed by your late 20s. Unfortunately, the lack of space in the back of the jaws can lead to complications like impaction, partial impaction, or damage to the adjacent teeth. Removing all four wisdom teeth may be recommended to reduce infection rates and preserve the health of your surrounding smile.
During your dental exam at Cartwright Dental, we’ll use digital imaging to assess your wisdom tooth placement and growth patterns. These high-resolution images allow you to see the same thing we do so that you can feel confident about your oral surgery decision.
Wisdom teeth are frequently removed due to complications like
- Impaction
- Damage to adjacent teeth
- Recurring gum disease or tooth decay
- Pain and swelling
- TMJ pain or headaches
- Pressure
Oral Conscious Sedation Available
Keeping you comfortable and safe is our top priority. As a licensed sedation dentist in Lebanon, we offer in-house oral conscious sedation during oral surgery and wisdom tooth removal procedures, as well as other complex restorative cases. Oral sedation allows you to feel like you’re partially sleeping your way through the appointment and typically acts like an amnesic medication to where you won’t remember much or anything about your visit. We recommend sedation for most oral surgeries, if you have a sensitive gag reflex, have experienced dental phobia in the past, or simply want to tune out everything while you’re here.
Recovery After a Wisdom Tooth Extraction
We recommend taking at least a few days to rest and avoid hard/crunchy/hot foods as your mouth heals. It’s also important to avoid rigorous exercise or physical activity for at least a week or two. Most people can return to work or classes within 3-4 days.
It’s extremely important that you follow your home care recommendations—including medication management and keeping your head elevated—to reduce swelling and discomfort. We recommend applying a cold compress to the side of your face on and off every 20 minutes for the remainder of the first day.