A dental extraction may be necessary to help protect your oral health. In some cases, these extractions can help to stop infection from spreading to other teeth. When you have to prepare for a dental extraction, it will be important to consider how you can make the process easier on yourself. Learning how to prepare for a dental extraction can help you to minimize stress and ensure an easier extraction process. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a dental extraction.
Ask Questions
Uncertainty often increases the amount of stress that you experience. A great way to prepare for a dental extraction is ensuring that you have all of your questions answered by your dentist. Reach out to the office prior to your appointment. This will help you to get your questions answered and will enable you to ensure that you know what to expect with your dental extraction.
Be Careful About When you Eat
The time that you should eat before your extraction will depend on the type of extraction you are getting. For the extraction of a single tooth, it is likely that only a local anesthetic will be used. Depending on the type of anesthetic, you may or may not be able to eat prior to your dental appointment. This will be a step that you will want to discuss with your dentist, because they will know what anesthetic they intend to use.
If you are having more intensive oral surgery, such as wisdom tooth removal, the medication used will be much stronger than a localized anesthetic. In these situations, it will be important to refrain from eating for at least 12 hours beforehand. This can help to prevent your food from interfering with the anesthesia, as well as minimize the likelihood that it will make you nauseous.
Share your Medical History
When you are trying to prepare for a dental extraction, it will be important to share your medical history with your dentist. This will enable them to ensure that issues, such as allergies to certain medications, won’t impact your extraction process. This is an important step in keeping yourself safe throughout your dental extraction.
Refrain from Smoking
Smoking should absolutely be avoided when you are trying to prepare for a dental extraction. Don’t smoke for a minimum of 12 hours before you have your tooth extracted. You also need to wait for at least 24 hours after the procedure before smoking. Smoking close to your tooth extraction will substantially increase the risk of a painful condition called dry socket. It is also beneficial to avoid the use of straws after the extraction.
Check with Insurance
You will want to understand what your insurance will and will not pay for before the procedure. This will help you to budget accordingly for any part of the extraction that you will be responsible for. Discuss the process with your insurance company before your appointment.
Organize Transportation
Even local anesthetic can interfere with your reflexes and ability to drive following a dental extraction. Due to this, it will be beneficial to ensure that you have your transportation organized before your dental extraction. Have a loved one or another party available to drive you home after your appointment.
Dress Comfortably
It is important to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible when you go to your dental extraction appointment. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. It is also beneficial to wear short sleeves, in case the anesthetic will be implemented intravenously.
These tips can often help you to prepare for a dental extraction and ensure a more comfortable process. It is also important to care for your teeth properly in order to minimize the amount of damage that can lead to an extraction. To learn more about the dental extraction process or how you can prepare for your appointment, contact us at Jenson Dental in Brigham City today!
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