Undergoing a tooth extraction can be painful. Thankfully, our dentist in Spruce Grove can eliminate any pain you might experience during the extraction and help you minimize any pain or discomfort during your recovery from having a tooth pulled.
How Dentists Eliminate Pain During an Extraction
All tooth extractions in Spruce Grove are performed after our dentist has applied local anesthetic to the extraction area. That local anesthetic will completely numb the gums near the extraction site and eliminate any feeling of pain or sharpness. That’s not to say you won’t notice anything. You may still notice movement and pressure in various locations in your mouth. In most cases of simple tooth extractions, local anesthesia is sufficient to protect patients from pain during the procedure.
Our dental clinic near you can offer you additional options for eliminating pain and discomfort while undergoing tooth extractions near you, including sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry is available on several different levels. It helps you relax and remain still during a procedure while working with the local anesthetic placed by our dentist to eliminate all pain, fear and anxiety.
Laughing gas (inhaled nitrous oxide) and oral sedation (a sedative drug taken via a pill) provide the lowest sedative effects to help you relax. With nitrous oxide and oral sedation, you’ll remain awake throughout the extraction process but feel markedly drowsy.
To help you to achieve a deeper level of relaxation — one in which your consciousness will be suppressed and you’ll be less able to remember the extraction procedure — our dentist can offer intravenous (IV) sedation administered through a needle in your arm.
In the most extreme and complex situations, extraction procedures can be performed under general anesthesia, during which you’ll be entirely asleep and unconscious. Procedures under general anesthesia are performed at specialized surgical clinics with the assistance of additional staff to monitor your vital signs throughout the procedure.
How to Minimize Pain After an Extraction
In some cases, our dentist may give you a prescription for antibiotics and pain medication before your extraction. If that happens, take the time to fill that prescription before your tooth is pulled so you’ll have it on hand as soon as needed. Above all else, take any prescriptions as directed.
If our dentist did not prescribe pain medication, over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) is usually sufficient to ease pain and discomfort after the procedure. There are also several general tips to follow in addition to following the aftercare instructions provided by the staff at our dental clinic near you precisely. Here are five tips for minimizing discomfort after an extraction:
● Use warm and cold compresses you can purchase from a drugstore to apply heat and cold to the outside of your cheek
● Get lots of rest. But when doing so while lying down, keep your head elevated with an extra pillow
● Follow our dentist’s instructions about eating after an extraction carefully, and start with only soft and cool foods and drink
● Avoid any activities that will create any suction in your mouth. Activities like spitting, drinking with a straw and smoking can dislodge the blood clot that forms at your extraction site. If your clot is dislodged, you may experience a painful condition called dry socket.
● Don’t smoke or drink alcohol after your extraction procedure. Both activities can slow your recovery and healing process
● Rinse your mouth with warm salted water beginning a day after having your tooth pulled, but swish gently and let the water fall out of your mouth without spitting
Be sure to ask our dentist any questions you may have in anticipation of a tooth extraction procedure. If, after having a tooth pulled, you experience any unexpected or worsening symptoms (rather than a gradually improving condition), don’t hesitate to contact our dentist near you for advice.