After Tooth Extraction, Dental Emergency Condition
Tooth extractions are relatively straightforward and help remove an infected or damaged tooth from the mouth to safeguard dental health. After undergoing a simple extraction of a visible tooth or surgical removal of an impacted tooth, you can expect to recover without complications in a few days as long as you follow your dentist’s instructions to care for your mouth and refrain from practices harmful to your tooth socket.
Occasionally you may develop an emergency dental condition if you do not adhere to your dentist’s instructions or indulge in practices detrimental to the tooth socket. While the conditions will require help from the nearby dental clinic and cause discomfort, besides additional expenditure, dentists can help you manage the problem by suggesting medications and antibiotics.
This article focuses on emergency conditions after tooth extraction. If you are scheduled for tooth removal kindly understand the complications you may confront if you do not follow your dentist’s after-care instructions.
Non-Urgent Dental Condition
Swelling and Pain: Swelling is standard after some dental procedures, especially tooth removal and periodontal surgery. You can hold an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables covered in cloth on your cheeks to alleviate the swelling.
Ice therapy is helpful during the initial 18 hours. You can hold an ice pack on your cheeks for 15 minutes on and off to ensure you don’t cause tissue damage. However, if the pain persists or doesn’t subside after 72 hours, it indicates you may have an infection, making it essential to seek help from the nearby dental clinic. Discomfort after dental procedures is generally moderate to severe and managed by various pain relievers.
Bleeding: bleeding after an extraction is standard. The bleeding from the extraction may appear significant because the blood from the procedure mixes with saliva to make it look excessive. You can control the bleeding by applying steady pressure on the gauze pad placed by the dentist on the tooth socket by merely biting on the gauze. You may have to repeat the process two or three times or can use a teabag over the extraction site for about an hour. Problems with bleeding occur if you frequently remove the gauze pad to identify whether the bleeding has stopped. Unfortunately, if the bleeding persists for more than a few hours, it helps to seek advice from your dentist. In such cases, dentists clean the bleeding area and close the wound with sutures.
You may encounter excessive bleeding if you take anticoagulants that prevent clotting. Discussing your medications with the dentist helps them to suggest remedial measures before tooth removal.
Urgent Dental Conditions
Dry Sockets: if you underwent wisdom tooth extraction and did not care for the surgical site as recommended by your dentist, it might result in a dry socket forming by dislodging the blood clot. Generally, the discomfort subsides two or three days after tooth removal before worsening and is accompanied by earaches.
Dry sockets cause pain to subside in about one or two weeks. However, they need help from the emergency dentist in Niagara Falls to manage the pain immediately. They place a sedative dressing over the socket and replace the dressing after every 24 to 72 hours. The process continues until all pain subsides. Alternatively, dentists can use a commercial dressing that does not require removal because it contains an antimicrobial and painkilling medication, including anesthetics. Dentists will also suggest taking anti-inflammatory drugs orally for additional pain relief.
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection caused by bacteria. Osteomyelitis generally occurs in the lower jaw as an infection. You may experience a fever besides swelling and tenderness in the affected area. Dentists take x-rays to diagnose the condition and recommend taking antibiotics for osteomyelitis over an extended period.
You may experience osteonecrosis of the jaw involving bone death in the surgical area after exposure of the jawbone from the gum tissue. Osteonecrosis can occur from tooth extraction, mouth injuries, radiation to the head and neck, and using bisphosphonates in high doses for extended periods.
Osteonecrosis is a normal condition among people who receive medications for osteoporosis. The treatment for osteonecrosis entails scraping the damaged bone, providing oral antibiotics, and suggesting antibacterial mouthwashes.
You can comfortably dental emergency conditions after tooth extraction by discussing your procedure with your dentist providing information about all medications you take and collecting data on how to care for your mouth after tooth removal. Unfortunately, if you encounter the above situations, you must seek help from your dentist or the emergency dentist to ensure the problem does not aggravate.
Monarch Dentistry — Niagara Falls frequently meet patients complaining of pain and discomfort beyond 72 hours after tooth extraction to provide appropriate remedies. If you confront a similar challenge, kindly do not hesitate to contact them for help as soon as possible.