Tooth Extractions: How to Prepare Yourself

Tooth decay is a very serious issue that affects a vast majority of Australian adults. According to a national oral health report, more than 90% of Aussie adults have experienced decay in their permanent teeth.

If left untreated, tooth decay can damage your teeth to the point that they need to be removed or replaced. Fortunately, excessive tooth decay can be prevented with proper treatment.

If something’s wrong with your teeth, your dentist in Canberra will try to repair them using a variety of treatments, such as fillings and root canals. But when your tooth is decayed or damaged beyond repair, the only option may be to book a tooth extraction appointment.

a dentist performing a tooth extraction on a patient

In other cases, dental extractions are performed to remove wisdom teeth or to prepare for dental implants. The latter is sometimes performed even on healthy teeth.

Tooth extractions may seem like a painful experience, but the truth is it’s a relatively painless procedure. Dentists make sure to numb the area carefully before getting started. And aside from the sensation in the initial numbing shot, the most you’ll feel is pressure as the tooth is being removed.

If you’re unprepared for it, however, a tooth extraction can be quite stressful. Yes, the procedure itself is mostly painless. But unpreparedness may cause you to have a difficult time during and after your tooth removal.

Here are some important tips to follow to make sure that your dental extraction procedure goes smoothly:

Follow the Pre-Operation Instructions

Your Mawson dentist will provide you with a set of pre-operation instructions to lower the possibility of complications during and after the procedure.

You may be required to fast and refrain from drinking water for a given number of hours before the procedure if general aesthesia or conscious sedation is to be used as a sedative. It is generally 6 hours for food and 2 hours for water.

If you are a smoker, you may also be asked to stop smoking for weeks before the procedure. This is because smoking affects the effectiveness of the anaesthesia and increases the likelihood of complications during the tooth extraction as well as in other dental procedures.

Follow the pre-op instructions as prescribed to ensure your tooth extraction goes smoothly from start to finish.

Get a Comprehensive Medical Assessment

Before your procedure, be sure to get a precautionary medical assessment from your physician.

Heart problems, bleeding disorders, and high blood pressure, to name a few, are among the diseases that require proper medications to prevent complications during and after a tooth extraction.

If you have any of the above, you need to take special precautions. Your dentist will prescribe you with appropriate medications based on the results of the medical assessment.

a doctor and a man analyzing an x-ray result

If you are taking any medications, you should share your current medications list with your dentist to avoid undesirable drug interactions.

Request for Conscious Sedation

A simple dental extraction may be performed using only a local anaesthetic injection. In special cases, general anaesthesia is used.

But if you are nervous, conscious sedation is an effective way to calm your nerves and have a pain-free tooth extraction procedure.

While you are under this type of sedation, you are put in a very relaxed state in which you don’t feel any pain. But you’ll still be able to respond to verbal commands or light tactile stimulation.

Have Someone Else Drive You Home

If you are given only local anaesthesia, some people will tell you that it’s safe to drive a vehicle on your own.

But it is highly recommended by experts that you have someone else, be it a friend, a relative or a loved one, bring you home. Even local anaesthesia will impair your reflexes, so it’s not worth the risk.

If you receive general anaesthesia or conscious sedation, you are not fit to drive and will not be able to drive any vehicle immediately after your procedure. Trying to do so will only put yourself and those around you at serious risk.

If no one in your circle is available to drive you home after the procedure, you can get a cab or a ride-hailing service as an alternative.

Looking for a Dentist in Canberra?

If one or more of your teeth is beyond repair and has to be removed, you now know how to be properly prepared for the procedure. Mawson Dental Care offers the highest quality dental care, including tooth removal (extractions).

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