Extractions in San Tan Valley, AZ

An extraction is performed to remove a tooth, whether because of disease, crowding, or damage. When extractions are required, the area around the tooth will be numbed and your dentist will remove the tooth. A small amount of bleeding is normal, as your mouth will replace the removed tooth root by forming a blood clot in the area.

• The area is numbed thoroughly before anything begins
• Clear aftercare instructions to protect healing
• Options for replacing the tooth discussed in advance
• Sedation available if the idea makes you anxious
• Only recommended when a tooth genuinely cannot be saved

Extraction becomes the right answer when a tooth is beyond repair — decay too extensive to restore, a fracture running below the gumline, or advanced gum disease that has destroyed the supporting bone. In those situations, keeping the tooth means keeping a source of infection and pain. Removing a badly infected tooth stops that infection spreading into surrounding bone and tissue. Where crowding is the issue, extraction can create the room needed for the remaining teeth to be aligned properly. Dr. Gifford's approach is to exhaust the alternatives first. If a root canal, crown or gum treatment can reasonably save the tooth, that will be offered and explained before extraction is considered.

The area around the tooth is numbed completely before anything starts. You will feel firm pressure during the extraction — that is normal and expected — but you should not feel sharp pain. Tell us immediately if you do. Afterward, a blood clot forms in the socket, and protecting that clot is the single most important part of healing. For the first 24 hours: no rinsing vigorously, no drinking through a straw, no smoking, and no poking at the site. Dislodging the clot causes a painful complication called dry socket. Bite gently on the gauze provided until bleeding slows. Stick to soft foods and lukewarm drinks for the first day, and use cold compresses on the outside of your face to limit swelling. Some bleeding and swelling is normal; call us if it worsens after the first day or pain increases rather than easing.