Tooth Extraction: What Are the Possible Side-Effects?

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Tooth Extraction a Last Resort

You dentist wants to preserve as much natural tooth is possible, but sometimes teeth need extracting for different reasons.

  • Decay
  • Fracturing
  • Infection
  • Disease

It can be challenging to remove impacted teeth or teeth that have no visible crown. And sometimes the patient can have particular medical conditions which make it inadvisable. When teeth tare extracted there can be several possible side-effects, although these should be quite temporary. Proper aftercare instructions help avoid many of these problems.

What are the Side Effects Following a Tooth Extraction?

  1. Pain: The most common side effects following extraction is a pain, but usually, this should be easily controllable with over-the-counter painkillers and should ease after a few days.
  2. Swelling: It’s also common to experience some swelling, especially if the gum needed to be cut to remove the tooth. The easiest way to ease this is to use an ice pack. Avoiding exercise, alcohol, and hot foods and drinks for the first few hours after surgery are also advisable.
  3. Bruising: Some people bruise more quickly than others, especially older people or those on steroids or aspirin. While the bruising can appear quite dramatic, it should resolve itself within a few weeks.
  4. Infections: This typically occurs two to four days after surgery and symptoms include pain, an unpleasant taste, and bad breath. Some people may be at increased risk of suffering from an infection, and may even need to take antibiotics before and after the surgery.
  5. Numbness or tingling: Some patients experience numbness or a tingling feeling around their lips and tongue. These sensations occur after the extraction of back teeth and bruising of the nerves occurs.
  6. Unable to open your mouth: The surgical procedure can leave the muscles of the mouth quite sore for several days afterward, and you may only be able to open your mouth a limited distance.
  7. Pieces of the tooth or bony flakes: Occasionally, small pieces of the tooth’s root tips are left behind because removing them would damage the nerves. Generally, this causes no harm to the patient. It’s even rarer to have the occasional bony flake work its way through the gums. However, when extracting many teeth, it may be necessary to smooth the underlying bone.

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” They are all very welcoming, professional and knowledgeable, especially hygienist Loan Pham. I recently got braces and my  teeth look and feel great every time I leave her chair, even now with braces – she’s amazing.”

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