Toothaches are some of the most agonizing experiences, and mainly occurs due to inflamed dental nerves caused by oral infections.
Most dental hygienists recommend tooth extraction as a way of controlling toothaches occurring as a result of decayed teeth. Decayed teeth occur due to accumulation of infectious bacteria on your tooth. Ideally, oral bacteria eats away parts of your tooth’s enamel.
If the decay is not controlled in its early stages, the damage progresses deeper into the tooth’s structure. Eventually, the bacteria reaches the roots and cause nerve inflammation, which is extremely painful.
However, after your decayed tooth is removed, your restorative dentist install a dental implant to replace the extracted tooth. Although tooth extraction procedures may sound gruesome, understanding the healing process will help reduce the anxiety.
In this article, we will discuss how tooth extraction impacts the process of installing a dental implants.
What is Tooth Extraction?
Tooth extraction basically refers to the actual process of removing a decayed or infected tooth. Tooth extraction would easily be classified as an invasive procedure that sees the entire tooth structure removed from the root to the enamel.
The easiest way to identify an infection buildup is a decaying teeth. If left unattended, infection buildup cause excruciating pain on the gums and teeth. It turns out that removing the affected teeth is the best way to prevent toothaches and jawbone degeneration.
You need to refill the remaining gap in order to avoid further dental health issues. Some of these main dental health problems include:
· Jawbone Deterioration
Teeth will always play a vital role in the overall development of the jawbone. Intrinsically, the roots on your teeth stimulate bone growth and replenishment throughout your entire life. Your jawbone losses bone matter after some time, undergoing severe deterioration when the gap is left unfilled.
A dentist will install a dental implant that will mimic a natural tooth’s roots. As such there will be continuous bone growth and replenishment even after teeth extraction.
· Dry Sockets
There may be some bleeding after teeth extraction. However, this bleeding is expected to last only for a few days before the real healing process begins. It is important to be aware of the blood clots behavior of dissolving prematurely. Consequently, the extraction hole exposes both the jawbone and nerves, causing continuous pain and foul odor.
· Infections
Your gums, jawbone, and subsequent teeth are susceptible to infections when the extraction gap is not filled. Some of the visible signs of an infected extraction site include gum swelling, pain around the site, fever, and foul taste in your mouth. Thus, it is best to have your dentist clean out the extraction site and recommend an appropriate dental implant to cover the gap.
Preparing for a Dental Implant Installation After Tooth Extraction
Dental implants are by far the closest and most realistic tooth replacement solution available currently. Ideally, dentists recommend dental implants for patients experiencing teeth loss due to lifestyle or medical issues, including tooth extraction.
As such, the process of installing a dental implant after a tooth extraction procedure requires sufficient preparation to ensure the implant is fully functional. The dental implant installation process is discussed below.
· Recovering Period
While your dental implant may be installed immediately after a tooth is extracted, dentists usually recommend taking some time to recover first. Hence, your body will take a few weeks or months to fully recover before installing a dental implant.
· Bone Grafting
Bone grafting involves installing synthetic or natural bone material in an extraction site. In essence, bone grafting is done in cases where sufficient bone mass is lost during extraction.
· Dental Evaluation
Your restorative dentist schedules an evaluation session to determine whether you are ready to receive a dental implant. In most cases, the dentist will assess the bone condition and quality using X-ray and CT scans.
· Procedural Overview
The dentist will discuss the entire dental implant and extraction process prior to the installation procedure. During the procedural overview, your dentist will discuss the types of dental implants that are likely to work for you. Furthermore, your dentist will take your through the dental installation stages, and how to care for your implant.
· Implant Placement
The dentist will proceed to install your preferred dental implant once everything is in order.
Conclusion
There is no shortage of dentists who can successfully conduct a dental implant installation. As we have already highlighted, dental implantation preparation starts at the tooth extraction stage. Although the extraction process sounds like a mere protocol, it actually provides the platform on which a successful implantation thrives on.