Post-Extraction Swelling

Are you anticipating getting a tooth removed? There’s probably nothing to worry about. Here at Bayberry Dental Care, we routinely perform simple extractions that leave patients more comfortable and in a better position to care for their oral health in the future. We provide patients with instructions to stay safe and minimize discomfort while recuperating, but we thought it would be a good idea to teach people how to deal with swelling ahead of time.

Swelling prevents harmful pathogens from entering through the socket and makes membranes more permeable to peptides the immune system uses. But normally, the blood will quickly clot, sealing off the empty socket. In the first forty-eight hours after an extraction, the patient may try to minimize swelling by holding a cold pack against their mouth. The pack should be dry and they should use it for no more than fifteen minutes at a time. They should also allow fifteen minutes to pass before putting the cold pack back on.

Usually, swelling peaks within three days of an extraction. After that, a patient may try to speed its reduction by applying hot packs, again using the fifteen on/fifteen off rule. It will take a few days for the swelling to go down completely. Black or white discoloration around an extraction site requires urgent attention, but red discoloration is expected and will fade with the swelling.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

When Baby Teeth Don't Fall Out

Are you embarrassed to smile because you’re an adult with baby teeth? We at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park would like to help you. Retained deciduous teeth, or baby teeth, are a somewhat unusual phenomenon, but not all that rare. Treatment will depend on the teeth’s exact position, but we want patients to understand that extractions may be the best thing for their dental health and bite comfort, as well.

Typically, the roots of the baby teeth dissolve as the permanent teeth erupt. There are a few reasons why this may fail to happen, such as if the roots are fused to the jaw bone. But in a lot of cases, the adult teeth simply never develop. The lateral incisors in the upper jaw are the teeth that are likeliest to be congenitally missing. The baby teeth would never fall out if nothing is pushing them, but we can still extract them. After that, we may place an implant to mount an artificial crown or provide the patient with a denture.

Sometimes the adult tooth develops but pushes through the gum line at a different place from its baby equivalent. This most often happens with the central incisors in the lower jaw. As a result, a person could have two sets of teeth. Overcrowding and dental infections would likely ensue, since teeth are very hard to brush when they are jumbled behind each other. After extracting the baby teeth, we would likely refer the patient for orthodontic care.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Reasons for Extractions

There are times when a tooth needs to be extracted. We try our best at Bayberry Dental Care to make sure that’s not often, but when it does happen, it’s for a good reason. Although extractions are routine procedures that almost always go smoothly, we thought it would be a good idea for patients to know why they might be recommended.

Baby teeth usually fall out naturally when the adult tooth is pushing them. But sometimes they may get stuck and create a risk that the other teeth will not be able to erupt in the right place. Even if the adult tooth is able to emerge, a stuck baby tooth is a challenge for oral hygiene. More commonly, it is an adult tooth that is causing problems for other teeth’s alignment due to overcrowding. The wisdom teeth are often extracted because they do not erupt until teenagers are already past the age when orthodontic therapy is most effective for major problems. It is also common in overcrowding cases for a set of premolars to be removed, since their function can be taken up by the remaining teeth.

A tooth may also have to be removed if it is badly damaged. Cracked crowns can be repaired, but there is no way to repair a cracked root or implant. In such cases, the patient will be in pain and at risk for infection. A dental pulp infection can also motivate an extraction, although a root canal is usually a viable option for saving the tooth.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Avoiding and Managing Dry Sockets

Though there are many reasons why tooth extractions may be necessary, our biggest concern following them is always a dry socket. At Bayberry Dental Care, we provide our patients with post-operational instructions to help them avoid complications, but accidents can happen, particularly if an extraction required incisions and sutures. Therefore, we want our patients to know how to recognize a dry socket so they can get help.

The extraction of a tooth will leave behind an empty socket through which it may be possible to see the jaw bone, but if all goes well, the socket will quickly clot over with blood. If it doesn’t, the socket will painfully dry out and be at risk of infection. Patients are told not to use birth control because it can prevent clot formation, and following the extraction, they will need to change their normal habits to avoid ripping the clot loose. Sipping through a straw and smoking are the behaviors which most commonly expose sockets.

If there are complications, the socket will probably dry out within two days. Patients should request an emergency appointment so they can be supplied with painkillers and antibiotics. Dr. Falsey will vacuum the socket clean and dress it with medicated gauze or paste. The dressings will have to be changed every few days until the socket closes, but under supervision, it should heal fully.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit BayberryDentalCare.com and fill out a contact sheet.