Extractions

Other teeth may need removal because they are poorly positioned in the mouth (such as impacted teeth), or in preparation for orthodontic treatment.

The removal of a single tooth can lead to problems related to your chewing ability, problems with your jaw joint, and shifting teeth, which can have a major impact on your dental health.

To avoid these complications, in most cases, Dr. Lin will discuss alternatives to extractions as well replacement of the extracted tooth.

Replacing teeth with:

• Dental Implants
• Bridges

Bleeding

Some bleeding may occur. Placing a piece of gauze over the empty tooth socket and biting down firmly for 45 minutes can control this.

Blood clots that form in the empty socket. This is an important part of the healing process and you must be careful not to dislodge the clot.

• Avoid rinsing or spitting for 24 hours after the extraction.
  
• Avoid use of a straw, smoking or hot liquids.

Swelling

If swelling occurs you can place ice on your face for 10 minutes and off for 10 minutes. Repeat this cycle as you feel necessary for up to 24 hours.

Pain and Medications
If you experience pain you might use non-prescription pain relief medications that you normally take, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Eating

For most extractions just make sure you do your chewing away from the extraction site. Stay away from hot liquids and alcoholic beverages for 24 hours.
A liquid diet may be recommended for 24 hours.

In most cases, Dr. Lin will discuss alternatives to extractions as well replacement of the extracted tooth.

Brushing and Cleaning

After the extraction, avoid brushing the teeth near the extraction site for one day. After that you can resume gentle cleaning. Avoid commercial mouth rinses, as they tend to irritate the site.
Beginning 24 hours after the extraction, you can rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon in a cup of water) after meals and before bed.

Dry Socket

Dry socket is when a blood clot fails to form in the socket where the tooth has been extracted or the clot has been dislodged and the healing is significantly delayed.

Following the post extraction instructions will reduce the chances of developing dry socket. Dry sockets manifest themselves as a dull throbbing pain, which doesn't appear until three to four days after the extraction. The pain can be moderate to severe and radiate from the extraction area. Dry socket may cause a bad taste or bad breath and the extraction site appears dry.

If the pain persists for more than 3 days or intensifies, please call us at (415) 543-6882.

Healing

After a tooth has been extracted, there will be a hole in your jawbone where the tooth was. In time, this will close and fill in with bone. This process can take many weeks or months. However after 1- 2 weeks, you should no longer notice any inconvenience.