“Say Aaaaahhhh,” says the Dentist in Arlington Texas: About Tooth Extractions

This article takes a closer look at tooth extractions, what necessitates them and why patients shouldn’t be terrified.

There are, understandably, few prospects more terrifying than being told by the dentist in Arlington Texas that you need to have a tooth pulled. This just about epitomizes everything we find scary about our bi-annual dental appointments and before we can talk ourselves out of our panic, images from Hollywood movies involving pliers and maniacal dentists begin flashing before our eyes. The fear and anxiety caused by requiring a tooth extraction is, of course, totally disproportionate to the nature of the procedure, explains the dentist in Arlington Texas. Long gone are the days when teeth were pulled using bulky and aggressive-looking equipment with only a lick of strong brandy to dull the pain (or at least the patient’s perspective of pain.) Nowadays, local anesthesia and post-procedural pain-killers remove the one element that patients most fear: pain. So, let’s take a look at tooth extractions; perhaps the most misunderstood of all the procedures offered by the dentist Arlington Texas.

Ask the Dentist in Arlington Texas: Why are Tooth Extractions Necessary?

The dentist in Arlington Texas will do everything in his/her power to save a tooth that has become damaged or decayed. And this is because no amount of sophisticated modern tooth replacement technology can rival the strength, durability and resilience of your own natural teeth. Not even dental implants. But there are certain circumstances in which a tooth extraction becomes unavoidable, says the dentist in Arlington Texas:

• The tooth has sustained too much physical trauma (perhaps from a car accident) to be restored using a dental crown.

• Too great a portion of the tooth structure has become decayed for it to be restored.

• A root canal procedure has failed to prevent bacteria from re-infecting the insides of the tooth.

• Emerging wisdom teeth that have become impacted or infected.

• Overcrowding of the dental arch, requiring one or more teeth to be pulled to make more space.

• Loose milk teeth that have become decayed.

For all these reasons, the dentist in Arlington Texas may decide it to be in the best interests of your oral health and comfort to extract the tooth and have it replaced with a dental implant or bridge. In the case of wisdom teeth and overcrowding, replacements aren’t necessary.

Ask the Dentist in Arlington Texas: Will it Hurt?

Naturally, a patient’s most immediate concern is pain. But fear not, the dentist in Arlington Texas won’t pull a tooth unless the area has been completely numbed first. For more complex cases of wisdom tooth extraction, you may undergo general anesthesia to allow the dentist in Arlington Texas to surgically remove the tooth structure from the jaw. Analgesics, or pain-killers, will be prescribed to deal effectively with any post-procedural pain or discomfort, but this is very rarely a problem with most straight-forward tooth extractions. If you suffer from acute dental anxiety, ask the dentist in Arlington Texas about his or her recommendations for oral sedation. By popping an anti-anxiety pill (usually of the Benzodiazepine variety) an hour or so before your appointment, you can enjoy a much more tolerable experience in the dentist’s chair! Just make sure that you arrange a lift to and from your appointment!

The Dentist in Arlington Texas: A Final Note on Tooth Extractions

Tooth extractions are one of the most straight-forward and least traumatic of all the procedures offered by the dentist in Arlington Texas. It is the overall goal of this simple and quick procedure to protect your oral health and with the availability of anesthesia, there really is nothing to fear.