Tooth Extraction At Our Bedford Dental Practice

What happens during this ‘last resort’ dental procedure?

As you can see, from reading our blogs and checking the treatment pages of our website, there are numerous ways in which a tooth can be saved if it is infected or damaged.

Whilst much depends on the nature and severity of the problem, our experienced Bedford dentists will make every attempt to preserve your natural tooth, wherever this is possible.

Making an appointment to see us when you first notice a problem is key to improving the chances of saving the tooth. Delaying taking this action may result in the need for the tooth to be extracted if the damage or infection is too far advanced.

Tooth extraction

When a tooth does need to be extracted, it can usually be done by a general dentist at The Dental Centre Bedford. More complicated cases, such as where the tooth has broken off at the gum line may require a specialist dentist in order to remove it. For the purpose of this blog, we will presume that this is a regular extraction.

What happens?

Once a local anaesthetic has been given to ensure that you experience no pain during the procedure, the dentist will use a pair of special forceps to grip the tooth. Contrary to popular perception, the tooth is not then pulled out, but is gently manoeuvred from side to side using a gentle rocking motion. This action gradually releases the tooth from the bone which would normally hold it in place. Once the tooth is sufficiently loose, the dentist will then be able to lift it from the socket.

Blood clot

As soon as the tooth has been extracted, you will be asked to bite on a piece of gauze. This is designed to stop the blood flow and create a clot which sits in the now hollow socket. This blood clot is important as it is the start of the healing process. It is important that you do not do anything that might dislodge the blood clot, such as spitting, or swilling liquids in the mouth. Naturally, this part of the mouth should not be used for eating for a little while.

Maintaining a clean mouth

Whilst you should continue to brush your other teeth following the extraction, you obviously will not be able to brush the area of the procedure. At this stage though, it is vulnerable to infection and does need to be kept clean. To do this, we recommend using a warm saline solution every few hours. This should be held in the mouth and gently tipped onto the area. You should not spit the solution out but allow it to fall from the mouth gently. Whilst this may not look very dignified, the preservation of the blood clot is important and losing it can create a number of problems, including a potentially painful dry socket.

You will be given full aftercare instructions following your tooth extraction at The Dental Centre Bedford but hopefully this blog serves as a good overview of the general procedure and aftercare. We are always available if you have any questions or concerns in the days following the procedure; simply call our friendly reception team on 01234 819868 and we will try to address your concerns as quickly and professionally as possible.