Dental Extractions
At Canyon View Dental, Dr. Cara McCallum will recommend a dental extraction when the only way to restore a client’s oral health is to remove a tooth. We don’t take this decision lightly and will work hard to explore every option for saving your tooth first.
But when we have eliminated all other options, you can rest assured that Dr. McCallum and her team are experts in the procedure and ensure that your comfort is a top priority.
Reasons for a Tooth Extraction
Advanced tooth decay is one reason people lose their teeth, but tooth loss has many causes. Other issues behind a necessary dental extraction are:
- Crowding – For many reasons, your teeth may naturally grow in with too little spacing, which itself can cause eventual tooth loss. Extraction and restoration may solve this problem.
- Wisdom teeth – Nine out of ten people will end up requiring the removal of their wisdom teeth, and timely extraction can prevent a whole host of other issues.
- Advanced periodontal disease – Your gums provide a foundation for your entire tooth structure. When your gum disease goes untreated, they naturally recede and expose your teeth to extra damage.
- Compounded damage – Whether you’ve had an unsuccessful root canal, extra-large fillings, or fractures that cannot be repaired, different types of damage can cumulatively result in dental extraction.
- A broken tooth due to trauma – Accidents often cause so much damage to a tooth that the only option is to extract what is left.
We strive to provide professional, effective, and successful dental extractions to promote quick recovery and long-term solutions.
Types of Dental Extractions
When Dr. McCallum prepares for a dental extraction, patient comfort and anxiety-relief is her top priority. We accomplish this goal through communication and thoroughly addressing your questions and concerns. We also will advocate for a tooth replacement plan even before your old tooth is gone.
Dental extractions come in two varieties: simple and surgical. Simple extractions involve teeth with enough structure above the gumline for your dentist to grasp with standard extraction tools. This procedure is straightforward, and we usually only require local anesthetic and are complete in one visit.
Surgical extractions involve teeth that are either broken off at the gums or have not yet erupted through the gum tissue in the case of crowding. If a tooth has begun to grow sideways, it can negatively impact neighboring teeth, which often causes pain and jaw discomfort. Dr. McCallum will work with you to find the best surgical extraction method.
Extraction After-Care Is Important
When either a simple or surgical extraction is complete, a blood clot will form in the empty socket where the tooth once was, and the following practices will promote healing:
- Avoid drinking through a straw or smoking as the suction can damage the clot
- Abstain from hot liquids for 48 hours to preserve the clot
- Rinse your mouth gently and only with warm water, no mouthwash
- Reduce swelling with a cold cloth or ice bag
- Relieve pain with over-the-counter pain medication
After a few days, your extraction should be well on its way to healing.
An Extraction Is Also a New Beginning
The team at Canyon View Dentistry will emphasize your awareness that space caused by a missing tooth is an issue you should correct. After the empty socket fully heals, the gap left may cause the surrounding teeth to be unstable. With their neighbor missing, adjacent teeth may shift towards the gap, causing misalignment, chewing, and gum problems.
To address these issues, Dr. McCallum will offer the option of a dental implant which is a whole-tooth replacement anchored directly to the bone. This restoration prevents shifting and is designed to be indistinguishable from natural teeth. In addition, an implant will stabilize your jaw and prevent bone degradation.
We’re Your Partner for a Successful Dental Extraction
If you have a tooth that may require removal, our caring staff can assess your situation and explain your present and future options. We are here to treat you like a neighbor, providing the leading-edge services that we’d offer to our family members. So don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Cara McCallum
Dentist
Dr. Cara McCallum leads the team at Canyon View Dentistry, practicing enthusiastically and with a commitment to creating and maintaining beautiful smiles. She attended Marquette University and earned a BS in Biological Sciences. Emerging from her undergraduate career with an interest in dentistry, Dr. McCallum finished her DDS work at Baylor College of Dentistry.
What she values about being a dentist is how rewarding it is to make substantial, personal connections with her patients to help them achieve a smile they are proud to show off.
Dr. McCallum lives in Littleton with …
“5 STAR EXPERIENCE! I don’t know about you but I dread going to the dentist. I had two teeth that needed fixing but I have been dragging myself because I can’t deal with waiting for crown for at least a week. So today I went to my appointment to this new dentist and IT FELT LIKE I AM AT THE SPA! They had a blanket to cover my feet, a warm wet towel for my chest, back message from the chair, and netflix. The people are super nice and friendly – it start from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave. I could stay there forever! They have super nice office you will really feel you are at the spa! I can’t wait be back to this SPA – yes it is a SPA to me for my next appointment for my crown. I did not have fear I usually get of seeing the dentist.” -Tisi