Dental Treatment in Ponte Vedra, FL
At the office of Dr. Ronald W. Howland, we're proud to provide high-quality dental care to patients throughout the greater Ponte Vedra community. At our office, we place a focus on providing personalized, in-depth care, working to create a holistic treatment plan that helps each patient achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. We offer a wide variety of treatments at our office, and while we try to save natural teeth whenever possible, in certain cases, we may recommend tooth extraction as the best course of action.
Why A Tooth Extraction?
At our office, we understand that your teeth are important to your overall appearance – and our mission is to help you achieve a healthy, beautiful smile you feel proud to show off. In all cases, we strive to keep teeth healthy through preventive treatments, and we work to save natural teeth whenever it's possible. With that being said, there are some instances where we'll recommend a tooth extraction. While it's uncommon, we may recommend a tooth be extracted for a number of reasons, including:
- Damage: If a tooth has been irreparably damaged by trauma, it may be best to extract and replace it.
- Repeated Procedures: Sometimes, teeth can be weakened from multiple dental procedures. In these cases, extraction may be the best option.
- Decay: We may extract a tooth that has suffered severe decay and can't be saved with a root canal.
- Crowding: In some cases, we may extract a tooth to make more room for other teeth and alleviate crowding issues.
Our Tooth Extraction Process
For many patients, the prospect of having a tooth removed sounds uncomfortable – and even downright scary. But despite popular misconceptions, the tooth extraction process is actually remarkably simple, convenient, and comfortable. It's a minor, routine surgical procedure that we can complete in one visit, and the healing process is simple and takes only a few weeks or a couple of months at most.
Dr. Howland will begin by applying a local anesthetic to numb the area and keep you comfortable during the procedure. He'll then thoroughly clean the area around the tooth, removing any plaque or bacteria from surrounding teeth. Once the anesthetic kicks in, Dr. Howland will use a specialized dental tool called an elevator to gently, carefully loosen the tooth and pull it out using forceps. Most report that this isn't painful at all – instead, it feels like a light pressure being exerted on the jaw. Once the tooth is pulled, Dr. Howland will sterilize the area and may apply stitches to the socket if necessary.
After extracting your tooth, we'll give you instructions for performing oral hygiene and caring for your mouth. You may experience mild discomfort over the following week, which you can manage with over the counter painkillers like acetaminophen. After a few weeks time, we'll bring you in for a follow-up appointment to monitor the healing process and discuss replacement options, if applicable.
Contact Your Ponte Vedra Dentist
While many people feel apprehensive about tooth extraction, it's actually a very simple procedure that rarely produces much pain. If you'd like to learn more about the tooth extraction process or want to schedule a dental evaluation, feel free to call us at (904) 273-0700 or fill out our online appointment request form. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you achieve a beautiful, healthy smile that lasts a lifetime!