Tooth extractions may be necessary if a tooth is injured or too decayed to save. If you’re having a dental emergency you may need a tooth pulled. Brookings Dental Arts understands the pain and inconvenience caused by tooth extractions and we try our best to minimize your discomfort.

At Brookings Dental Arts You Have Sedation Options

Patients often request sedation for tooth extractions. Brookings Dental Arts provides two sedation options, nitrous oxide and conscious sedation. Nitrous oxide, sometimes called “laughing gas,” is one of the safest anti-anxiety agents used in dentistry. Nitrous oxide has mild, short-lived effects and can be administered with just a mask over the nose, making it a great solution for adults and children alike. Conscious sedation is an option for patients with more severe anxiety, and for people with complex treatment needs. We can perform almost any treatment with the help of conscious sedation, including tooth extractions.

How to Plan Ahead for Your Tooth Extraction

• Arrange for someone to drop you off and pick you up from your appointment.
• Plan on taking several days off work, school and activities to recover from the procedure.
• If you’re a smoker, consider a nicotine replacement, such as a patch, during your recovery.
• Stock your fridge with soft foods for several days, and buy over the counter pain medicine. We also recommend a good novel or binge-worthy TV series to help pass the time while your mouth recovers.

After your tooth extraction:

• Do not smoke cigarettes or vape, and do not use a straw, for at least 24 hours.
• As soon as you’re home, apply an ice pack to your face for 10 minutes. Repeat as needed.
• Change the gauze pad in your mouth before it becomes blood soaked.
• Avoid rinsing or spitting for 24 hours to prevent the blood clot at the extraction site from becoming dislodged.
• After 24 hours, rinse your mouth with half a teaspoon of salt added to about eight ounces of warm water.
• Relax and limit activities for several days.
• Gradually add solid foods back to your diet as the wound heals.
• After 24 hours, brush and floss regularly to help prevent infection, avoiding the extraction site.

If bleeding or pain is still severe more than four hours after the extraction, you should call us. You shoulda also call us if you have:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills.
• Redness, swelling, redness or excessive discharge from extraction site.
• Nausea or vomiting.

Brookings Dental Arts offers dental implants and All-on-4 for those patients who would like to replace their missing tooth with an implant that looks and functions just like a normal tooth. We can provide more information at your tooth extraction appointment.

Don’t suffer another day from tooth pain – call us to learn how we can help.