The skilled team of doctors at Family Dental provides comprehensive and compassionate dental care. You and your dentist do your best to preserve your natural teeth, but sometimes it's best for the health of your mouth to have a tooth removed completely. If a tooth is severely decayed, damaged below the gum line, or is causing overcrowding, your doctor will recommend oral surgery in Glenview, IL.

Tooth extraction

Tooth extraction may sound intense, but it's a routine procedure for your dentist. It is relatively painless and your mouth should feel back to normal in a few days. Whether you're having wisdom teeth removed or need extraction for another reason, your appointment will likely begin with an x-ray. This helps your doctor assess the tooth and predict any complications with the extraction.

For the extraction, you are numbed with local anesthesia, but other sedatives like oral medication and nitrous oxide can be used too. A tooth may need to be sectioned, or broken into pieces, to remove each root. After the extraction, the empty socket is packed with gauze to stop any bleeding and you may receive stitches.

Oral surgery aftercare in Glenview, IL

You will want to take it easy for at least 24 hours after tooth extraction, but you'll still feel better relatively quickly as your mouth heals. An important rule to follow is to stay away from straws and smoking. The sucking motion required to drink through a straw or smoke can cause a dry socket. Smoking cigarettes can also delay the healing process, and your doctors will always recommend quitting smoking to prevent cancer.

Stick to a soft food diet while you heal. You may want to stock up on healthy and easy-to-eat foods before your extraction in case you don't feel like grocery shopping afterward! You can brush your teeth the day after an extraction, but you'll want to avoid the area of the extraction for two or three days. You may have some swelling and discomfort for a couple of days, and we can recommend anti-inflammatory medication to help with any pain.

Family Dental is here for you in Glenview, IL, when you need oral surgery. Tooth extractions are routine procedures that help preserve the health of your mouth. Contact us for an appointment at (847) 998-1281.