Tooth Extractions
At Edmond Dental at Deer Creek, we offer a comprehensive range of dental services to help you maintain strong, healthy teeth that function comfortably.
Dr. Joseph Tucker will do everything to restore a decayed, broken, or infected tooth to preserve its structure. Sometimes, however, the safest option to protect your oral health is to remove the tooth.
Why We Recommend Tooth Extraction
We only recommend tooth extraction when we’ve exhausted all other options to save it. Dr. Tucker may recommend tooth extraction for any one of several reasons:
- Advanced decay: A tooth is so decayed that a dental crown or filling won’t be enough to protect it.
- Root canal infection: An untreated tooth infection progresses beyond where we can save it with traditional treatment.
- Denture placement: We are planning denture treatment and removing one or two teeth will help us achieve the best outcome.
- Removal of wisdom teeth: There are several reasons why we might recommend extracting wisdom teeth, including difficulty cleaning properly and crowding of surrounding teeth.
Your Comfort Is Our Priority
We understand that losing a tooth for any reason is a traumatic experience for many people. But our caring dental team is here for you every step of the way. Our goal at Edmond Dental at Deer Creek is to establish a strong, trusting relationship with you, so you feel comfortable turning to us when you have a problem. Dr. Tucker has a reputation for being a gentle, caring dentist, and he and our dental team will do everything to ensure that you have a stress-free tooth extraction. Whether you need a hand to hold or a reassuring word, our focus is completely on you and your needs.
We also offer nitrous oxide or laughing gas, which is a type of mild sedation that will help you relax comfortably during the procedure. iPads and noise-canceling headphones in all our treatment rooms provide some pleasant distraction that lets you distance yourself from the activity around you.
Post-Extraction Instructions
Before you leave our office, we will give you instructions for caring for yourself at home:
- Gently bite down on a gauze pad for an hour after the procedure.
- Reduce swelling with an ice pack and elevate your head as much as possible.
- Avoid actions like rinsing, spitting, smoking, or drinking through a straw as they can dislodge the protective clot that is forming.
- Maintain good oral hygiene but avoid the extraction site
Our dental team will call you on the evening of your procedure to see how you’re doing and if you have any questions. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to call us if you have a concern.
Please Call So We Can Help You
Do you have a tooth that’s badly damaged or decayed tooth and wonder if you need us to remove it? Please call our Edmond, OK dental office so Dr. Tucker can take a look at the tooth and let you know if tooth extraction is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Dr. Tucker does remove wisdom teeth at our Edmond dental office. Wisdom teeth—also called third molars—are often problematic because they are located so far back in the mouth. This position makes them difficult or impossible to clean adequately, which increases your risk of cavities and gum disease.
The thing about wisdom teeth is that we don’t need them anymore. Our ancient ancestors had to have a lot of extra chewing power to process a course diet of twigs, leaves, and roots. With a modern diet of processed foods, we simply don't require that kind of chewing force.
Also, our jaws have gotten smaller as we’ve evolved so that when third molars are ready to erupt, they often have nowhere to go. This leads to crowding and impacted wisdom teeth that our dentist must remove to protect your overall oral health.
We don’t necessarily wisdom tooth extraction for everyone, and Dr. Tucker determines on a case-by-case basis if removing them is necessary. If you are in pain, your teeth are crowded, or your wisdom teeth are threatening your overall oral health, it may be in your best interest to remove them.
Dr. Tucker is equipped to remove most impacted wisdom teeth at our Edmond dental office, but in some cases, he may refer you if the impaction is too difficult to resolve. If this is the case, we work only with the very best specialists in our area., You can be confident that your care is in the hands of an experienced Edmond dentist who puts your comfort first.
If you are concerned about your wisdom teeth or currently experiencing a problem, please call Edmond Dental at Deer Creek to make an appointment.
Meet Our Doctor:
Dr. Joseph Tucker
Dr. Tucker grew up in a small town in Oklahoma and is a double-alum from OU, having completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1999 as a Microbiology major and then graduating from the OU College of Dentistry in 2003.
After becoming licensed to practice dentistry, Dr. Tucker completed a competitive residency in Advanced Education for General Dentistry. Dr. Tucker is a highly skilled clinician and brings over 17 years of experience to his Edmond dental practice. He continually educates himself on the latest issues and approaches in dentistry today and utilizes the ...