Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

If you have an impacted tooth, your dentist may offer a few treatment options. Among those treatment options may be extraction. Dental extractions for impacted teeth are a common procedure that you should not worry about.  

What Is an Impacted Tooth?

First, you need to know what an impacted tooth is so that you can understand why your dentist wants to remove it. An impacted tooth is a tooth that has not come into the mouth. This may be because it is growing at an angle or because it is blocked by other teeth. An impacted tooth can cause pain, which is likely what brought you to a dentist in the first place.

What Are the Signs of an Impacted Tooth?

There are a few signs that you may have an impacted tooth. These include pain in the jaw, swelling, and bad breath. You may also notice that your tooth is growing at an angle or is not aligned with the other teeth, or perhaps that it is pushing other teeth out of the way.

Why Is an Extraction Necessary for an Impacted Tooth?

There are a few reasons that your dentist may want to perform an extraction. The most common reason is that the tooth is causing pain, maybe because the angle is damaging other teeth. The only way to protect your tooth is to perform an extraction.

If the tooth is caught below another tooth or the gum, it may become infected. The infection can grow larger and cause more damage, so the best way to avoid this is often to remove the tooth.

What Happens After the Dental Extraction?

After the dentist removes the impacted tooth, you will likely have some swelling and pain. The pain can be controlled with medication, and the swelling will go down on its own. You may also have some bleeding. It is normal to see some blood in your saliva for the first day or two after the extraction. If the bleeding increases, it is important that you talk to your dentist.

What Should You Do if You Think You Have an Impacted Tooth?

If you think that you may have an impacted tooth, the best thing to do is to see your dentist. They will be able to tell you for sure if you have an impacted tooth and, if so, what the best treatment option is. Dental extractions for impacted teeth do not have to be a long process.

Contact your dentist to learn more about dental extractions.