Having your tooth extracted is a fairly commonplace procedure. Whether it’s done to remove an unhealthy tooth or to make room in a crowded mouth, the extraction process doesn’t take too long and can be done under a local anesthetic by your oral surgeon.
No matter the reason for your tooth extraction, you will soon be faced with an empty socket and a couple of weeks of healing. Socket preservation is the process of keeping the healing wound dry and free from any miscellaneous food or debris. Socket preservation is vital to not only keep your gums from becoming infected, but to also preserve the structure of your mouth. Union City Oral Surgery Group has a team of dedicated and professional oral surgeons who have devoted their careers to your oral health. After your tooth extraction, they will work alongside you to help preserve your socket and get you one step closer to a happier and healthier smile.
What Is the Importance of Socket Preservation After a Tooth Extraction?
Taking care of your teeth and mouth after surgery is a delicate but important process. Socket preservation is imperative because you are likely preserving your gum for a new implant in the future. Allowing the wound to properly clot and heal can help with the following aspects as well:
Avoiding Infection
As with any surgery, big or small, there runs the chance of infection. Your oral surgeon will set you up with all of the tools you need to help take care of your socket, including cleaning instructions and antibiotics. For a couple of days, certain foods will need to be avoided, so it’s likely you will not be able to use a toothbrush around the area for at least 24 hours.
Extracting a tooth, even if it was previously cracked or dead, leaves a hole in your gum. While this wound is clotting and closing up, it’s easy for bacteria to make its way inside. Making sure your socket stays clean and persevered will help you avoid infection for the area, however.
Preventing Bone Disintegration
Having a tooth removed leaves the bone prone to disintegration, especially if not taken care of properly. It could also be that the primary cause for tooth extraction was periodontitis or gum disease, which means you already were prone to a weak jaw bone or disintegration. If this is the case, it is likely your oral surgeon would perform a bone graft in addition to the extraction to help rebuild the surface for a future implant.
A bone graft is the process of taking a bone and putting it in place of the extracted tooth. The bone can be made from synthetic materials and will be sewn up with a suture.
Keeping Your Alignment
If you do not maintain your socket after extraction, you run the risk of ruining your teeth’s alignment. The neighboring teeth may start to gradually fill up the empty space, causing gaps and misalignments.
The weakened bone from the improperly preserved socket can also lead to a shift in your sinuses. Without the bone structure to support them, the pouches may begin to slouch down your face toward your mouth. If this happens, you may need more surgery to physically relocate your sinus and then receive a bone graft.
Speak With a Professional Oral Surgeon About Socket Preservation Today
For any mouth pain or various oral surgery needs, speak to Union City Oral Surgery Group today. We are grateful to offer an easy and painless experience to our clients. Using the most up-to-date technology and minimally-invasive surgical techniques, our team is able to provide exceptional patient care that extends from before surgery all the way to the end.
To see how we can best help you and your oral health needs today, please give one of our team members a call at (201) 601-9262 or fill out our contact form.
