Tooth Extractions - Astoria, NY
Remove Damaged or Decayed Teeth
The loss of even one tooth can be detrimental to oral health, but sometimes, removing a damaged or decayed tooth is actually the best way to preserve your oral health. In these cases, we will recommend tooth extraction. If you or a loved one needs to have one or more teeth removed, the skilled dentist and dentistry team members at ED Family Dental are here to help. To learn more, call our Astoria dental office to schedule a consultation appointment. During your visit, we’ll complete a thorough examination and discuss all of your treatment options. If possible, we’ll provide restoration rather than removing the damaged or decayed teeth. When necessary, we can offer tooth replacement options as well as your surgical or nonsurgical tooth removal. Every patient’s treatment plan is personalized to meet their unique needs, and we consider you our partner in planning your treatment.
Why Tooth Extraction is Recommended
There are many situations where tooth extraction is the best option to preserve overall oral health. Some of the reasons we remove teeth include:
- Teeth that are too damaged or decayed to support a restoration
- To prepare the smile for partial or full denture placement
- To allow for easier movement during orthodontic treatment
- Primary teeth that do not fall out on their own
- Adult teeth that are impacted, unable to erupt from the gum line
- Third molars, wisdom teeth, are often removed due to lack of space within the smile to accommodate the additional set of molars
How Tooth Extraction is Performed
If your tooth has full erupted from the gum tissue, we’ll be able to pull it. This procedure is the least invasive option. We numb the area. Then, the tooth is shifted back and forth until it breaks free from the supportive structures. If the tooth can’t be pulled, we’ll need to surgically remove it. These surgical treatments can simply involve cutting away soft tissue to reveal the tooth or they may require more advanced methods such as drilling into the supportive, alveolar bone or breaking the tooth into smaller pieces prior to removal. Every patient’s treatment plan is unique, and our skilled dentist can perform the procedures with safety and precision.
Caring for the Smile After Tooth Extraction
Following the removal of one or more teeth, our team will provide you with specific aftercare instructions you can follow in order to ensure your extraction site will heal quickly and comfortably with minimized risk for infection and other complications. If you’re in need of a replacement tooth or teeth, we will begin planning these procedures right away. For the first 48 hours after treatment, you’ll experience swelling and discomfort, but the pain and inflammation should gradually decrease. If you notice an increase in pain or swelling, this may be a sign of concern, so please contact us right away. We offer assistance to keep you comfortable throughout the healing process.
Understanding the Cost of Tooth Extractions
Whether you’ve had a tooth extracted in the past or this is your first time, you may be curious about the cost. Let us help you! During your appointment, our emergency dentist in Astoria will create a custom treatment plan and explain the price estimate. However, if you’d like to learn more about the cost in the meantime, then keep reading!
Factors That Can Affect Tooth Extraction Cost
Tooth extractions can look a bit different from patient to patient depending on their dental needs. As a result, the cost of tooth extractions in Astoria varies! To determine a price, our team will take the following into account:
- How many teeth need to be extracted
- The type and location of your tooth
- The difficulty of the extraction (simple vs. impacted extractions)
- The tooth-replacement option you choose (i.e., dental bridge, denture, dental implant)
Does Dental Insurance Cover Tooth Extractions?
While every plan is different, many dental insurance providers cover roughly 50% of the cost of tooth extractions after your deductible has been met. Naturally, you’ll want to review the fine print on your policy beforehand and take note of exceptions, like waiting periods. If you’re having a hard time understanding your benefits, don’t hesitate to let us know so we can help! We’re proud to be in-network with a number of popular providers, including Metlife PPO, Cigna PPO, Humana, and many others.
How to Make Tooth Extractions Affordable
Don’t have dental insurance? Don’t let that stop you from getting the essential dental care you need! Our team is proud to offer another financial solution: CareCredit. In short, this third-party financier allows you to space out your payments instead of having to pay it all in one lump sum. Even better, there are little-to-no interest options to keep your out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum. If you’d like to learn more about this affordable payment option, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.
Tooth Extraction FAQs
At ED Family Dental, we never recommend extracting a tooth unless we’ve exhausted all of our other options, because we understand that there’s no substitution that can compare to your natural pearly whites. However, in cases where we believe that a tooth extraction in Astoria will preserve your oral health, we’ll recommend it! To ease any of your concerns, we’ve compiled a list of common questions that we receive from our patients below.
Does getting a tooth extracted hurt?
The idea of getting a tooth extracted can be daunting if you’ve never had a dental procedure like it before. Our team is very gentle and works quickly and effectively to make the extraction as comfortable as possible. If necessary, we’ll also administer a local anesthetic to the area to numb it beforehand so you don’t feel a thing.
Is there an alternative to a tooth extraction?
If you have a tooth infection, we don’t always have to extract your pearly white. In some cases, we can treat your tooth with root canal therapy. This is when we’ll go in and remove the infected pulp within the inner chamber of your tooth. After sanitizing it, we’ll rebuild the structure using a substance called gutta percha and top the treated tooth off with a dental crown for added support and protection. However, if the infection has killed the tooth, we’ll likely need to extract it. Fortunately, we offer several quality tooth replacement solutions, like dental implants.
What’s it like recovering from a tooth extraction?
Recovering from a tooth extraction takes around three days, but can vary from patient to patient. You’ll need to take at least a day or two off of work to make sure you get plenty of rest and have a smooth recovery. Here are some practices to keep in mind to heal quickly:
- Don’t drink from a straw
- Maintain a soft diet
- Avoid physical activity
- Keep your mouth clean by rinsing with salt water
- Begin brushing and flossing your teeth whenever your dentist says it’s okay to
- Avoid smoking
- Use a cold compress for swelling
- Take any prescribed medications as directed
Can I leave the space empty after a tooth extraction?
While it’s not required that you immediately replace a tooth after having it extracted, our team highly recommends it. By filling the gap in your smile, you can keep your surrounding teeth from drifting out of place to fill the space and make brushing and flossing easier.
We offer several custom-tailored replacement solutions, like dental implants, to restore the function and appearance of your smile so it feels as though you’ve never had an extraction. If you have any questions about tooth replacement options, we’d be happy to answer them!