How Long Does Surgical Extraction Take to Heal?
Tooth extraction is a common procedure and is often used as a last resort to prevent further issues and get your smile back to a healthy state. You may need to have a tooth extracted for many reasons including extensive decay, trauma or damage to the tooth, or even overcrowding. A simple extraction is typically performed on teeth that hopefully erupted through the gum tissue and can be simply loosened and removed. Surgical extraction is a little more involved and is used on teeth that have not fully erupted but are impacted below the gum line or even within the jawbone.
When does a tooth need to be extracted?
It is important for us to keep our natural teeth as long as possible so if you are advised to have a tooth extracted, that means the tooth is non-restorable with other treatment methods. Wisdom teeth are one of the most common extractions that patient endure, reason being that there is not enough space in most peoples mouth to accommodate the extra molars. Wisdom teeth develop perpendicular to the rest of our teeth and often press up against the second molar and can be very painful or even cause damage. They may also be removed to prepare for orthodontic treatment, giving the orthodontist space to shift and rotate teeth into alignment.
If a tooth has extensive decay or has fractured, extraction may be the best treatment path to avoid spread of decay to neighboring, healthy teeth. Fractured teeth can sometimes be restored with a crown, but if the break is severe, a replacement might be the best option.
Another reason you may need to have a tooth extracted is if decay reaches the pulp within the tooth, causing infection. The pulp is the innermost tissue of each tooth that houses blood flow and nerves; when this becomes infected, patients run the risk of developing a dental abscess. Infected pulp is often treated with root canal therapy which is a highly successful treatment but on the rare occasion that it is unsuccessful, the tooth may need to be extracted.
How long does a surgical extraction take to heal?
A surgical extraction takes about 3 to 4 weeks to heal, depending on the overall health of the patient as well as the complexity of the extraction. The gum tissue at the extraction site may be healed within a couple of weeks, but for the bone and socket to fully heal, that takes a bit longer.
As you heal, it is normal to experience minor pain accompanied with a bit of swelling and possibly even occasional bleeding but this should all begin to subside within a few days. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication for you to take the first couple of days but after that, you should be able to manage any discomfort with over-the-counter pain medication.
If you find that you have to have a tooth extracted, your doctor will explain the procedure and postoperative instructions with you before you schedule your surgery. Following your postoperative directions, including sticking to a soft food diet, will help you heal as quickly as possible and avoid any complications.