Tooth Extractions – Brookfield, WI
Removing Your Smile’s Problem Teeth
In almost all cases, losing a tooth isn’t a good thing. It’s far better to keep and save your natural teeth – they’re crucial to your oral health! Still, a tooth can sometimes harm your mouth when it stays in place. Our office often removes such teeth to keep your smile healthy. As for how that works, we’ll gladly share the details with you. Simply keep reading to learn about tooth extractions in Brookfield, or book a visit soon.
Reasons Why Tooth Extractions are Necessary
Here at Bright Smiles Dentistry, we never suggest a tooth extraction lightly. Our dentists will only perform one as a last resort – when there’s no other choice. In fact, we’d much rather save your teeth with root canals, dental crowns, and so on. Each natural tooth is the best tool for biting, chewing, and smiling.
Given these facts, tooth extractions only become necessary in dire cases. We’ll only recommend one if you suffer from issues like:
- A tooth with an inoperable cavity
- A rapidly-spreading tooth infection
- Loss of the bone needed to support a tooth
- Broken teeth that can’t be put back together
The Process of Removing a Tooth
We’ll closely assess your tooth (or teeth) at your first visit to see if you need an extraction. From there, we’ll suggest a simple or complex removal based on your case.
If the relevant tooth is visible, we’ll perform a simple extraction. This option directly removes said tooth after numbing the treatment site. In other words, it uses forceps to rock the object back and forth until it separates from your gums.
Our team will give you a complex extraction if the tooth hasn’t fully erupted. In that case, we’ll make an incision in your gums once your mouth is numb. We can then divide and extract the tooth into sections to minimize bone loss in your jaw. Afterward, we’ll sew up the incision and wrap things up.
We’ll start planning how to replace your tooth once your extraction is done. After all, getting a new one will ensure you don’t suffer long-term oral issues.
Tooth Extraction Aftercare
Your adult teeth aren’t made to be removed, so you’ll need time to heal from your extraction. The treatment site will probably feel sore or achy during that time. Fortunately, our team will guide you through your recovery with post-op instructions. These include:
- Clean the treatment site with a saltwater rinse 24 hours after the extraction.
- Don’t smoke or spit for a few days after treatment; you’ll delay recovery otherwise.
- Since suction can dislodge your blood clot, please don’t drink from a straw.
- Use store-bought pain relievers to manage any post-treatment aches.
- Don’t chew near the extraction site while it heals.
By following the rules above, you should heal from treatment smoothly. You can then look into possible tooth replacement options; a prosthetic would restore your full smile, bite, and more.
Understanding the Cost of Tooth Extractions
Removing a tooth may sound expensive to you, but it doesn’t have to be. The cost of tooth extractions varies from one patient to the next; only our dentists can provide an exact estimate. Plus, our dental team will work with you to make treatment more affordable. We’ll even walk you through your extraction’s pricing factors, payment options, etc. To learn more, please keep reading or contact our office for the details.
Factors That Can Affect Tooth Extraction Cost
When we assess your tooth (or teeth) at your first visit, we’ll consider factors that affect your extraction’s final cost. These elements include the following:
- Number of Teeth – As you may have guessed, the price of an extraction rises when it has to remove more teeth.
- Location/Type of Teeth – A tooth’s type or location will greatly affect how much removal costs. For instance, extracting front teeth is less expensive because it involves simpler work.
- Difficulty of Treatment – A tooth extraction can either be simple or complex. When it’s simple, the treatment tends to be less pricey. Meanwhile, a complex extraction will often cost more.
- Tooth Replacement Options – If you need a replacement tooth after your extraction, it’ll add to your treatment expense. This cost will also rise or fall based on whether you get dentures, dental bridges, or dental implants.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Tooth Extractions?
The good news is that dental insurance often will cover tooth extractions. Most plans see these treatments as crucial, so they’ll meet up to 50% of an extraction’s cost. All a patient has to do is meet their yearly deductible or maximum first.
On the other hand, note that there are exceptions. Your own insurance may have limits, cover a certain number of teeth, etc. Given these possibilities, please confirm your benefits before you commit to treatment. Our dental team will gladly help you do so.
Other Options for Making Tooth Extractions Affordable
If you don’t have dental insurance, don’t panic; other ways exist to make tooth extraction affordable. Chief among them would be our office’s helpful payment options! With the right one, extracting your tooth will be much more budget-friendly.
Bright Smiles Dentistry’s extra payment options are:
- Special Offers – Our practice has a special offer for its new patients. During your first visit with us, we’ll give you a dental exam and X-rays for only $49.
- CareCredit Financing – Our office assists many patients by working with CareCredit, a reputable 3rdparty financier. With their help, you can pay for tooth extraction in small, monthly installments with little or no interest!
The truth is that removing a broken tooth doesn’t have to “break the bank.” Instead, learn to finance this treatment by visiting our office!
Tooth Extractions FAQs
Does Getting a Tooth Extracted Hurt?
As with any treatment, patients are often concerned about the prospect of pain when it comes to their tooth extraction. Thankfully, there’s nothing to worry about.
Before performing any kind of tooth extraction, or really any treatment that could involve discomfort, we’ll be sure to numb your mouth completely. The most you’ll feel during your tooth extraction will be a small amount of pressure.
Of course, most patients tend to be a bit sore in the days after the procedure. However, the worst of this should fade within a few days. We may also prescribe you pain medicine if necessary; otherwise, you’ll get by just fine with over-the-counter pain relief.
Is There an Alternative to a Tooth Extraction?
As beautiful as dentures and dental implants are, we always want to help you protect your teeth whenever possible. For that reason, tooth extractions are generally a last resort; we really only offer them to patients when all other options have been exhausted.
In cases of less severe damage or decay, dental crowns and root canals may be able to do the job. However, in some situations, tooth extractions are the only way to prevent issues from worsening.
If we let you know that you need a tooth extraction, it’s likely that there really isn’t any other option that can help you.
What’s the Difference Between Tooth Extractions and Wisdom Tooth Surgery?
Obviously, both tooth extractions and wisdom tooth surgery involve removing a tooth. However, the way that this is done differs depending on the procedure that you get.
The typical tooth extraction is done by using a tool called an extractor to lift the tooth from the socket, then forceps to actually remove it. This is generally not the case for wisdom teeth.
They are more prone to complications than other kinds of teeth, and quite often they’re unable to even sprout properly. In other situations, they might become impacted or sprout at an odd angle, both of which make it hard to remove them without surgery. Thus, the latter is usually a much more involved procedure.
What’s the Recovery for Tooth Extractions Like?
When you come to us for a tooth extraction, we’ll give you a list of aftercare instructions you ought to abide by to make recovery easy. These will be personalized to you and what you might expect from your healing process. However, there are some general tips worth keeping in mind:
- Get plenty of rest
- Don’t spit excessively or drink through a straw, as this can cause dry socket
- Keep your mouth clean by gently swishing with saltwater
- Change the gauze as necessary
- Consider adopting a soft food diet
- Take prescibed or OTC pain medicine as directed