Having A Tooth Pulled For The First Time? Here's What You Want To Know

There are some treatments at the dentist office that are really no big deal, such as having your teeth cleaned or a cavity filled. However, tooth extraction is one of those dental treatments that tends to make patients a little apprehensive because it is a form of treatment that can be a little more intrusive. If you are facing an appointment to have a tooth pulled and this will be your first experience, you are bound to have a few questions. Take a peek at these usual questions about tooth extractions that first-timers tend to have about the process. 

How painful is a tooth extraction?

Before the tooth extraction, the dentist will rub a numbing agent on the soft tissue surrounding the tooth and then give a series of localized anesthetic shots with a needle to numb the nerves in the area around the tooth to be pulled. Therefore, you should not really feel the tooth come out in a way that will be painful. You may feel some pressure as the dentist works to break the tooth loose from its place, but this is not a painful experience. 

Does the procedure take very long?

Once the dentist has prepared the area around the tooth and administered the anesthetic, you will be left to wait a few minutes until the medication fully kicks in. Beyond that point, the act of pulling the tooth does not take very long at all. In rare situations when the tooth is badly decayed, broken, or chipped, it can take a bit for the dentist to pull out the tooth because it will often come out in small pieces instead of as a whole. 

Will there a lot of bleeding involved with a tooth extraction?

The amount of bleeding associated with having a tooth pulled will depend on several different factors. For example, a tooth that is located in the front of the mouth usually does not bleed quite as much as a molar or tooth located further back because these teeth have more surface area connected to the soft tissue. Once the tooth is out, your dentist will give you a rolled-up piece of sterile gauze to bite down on to help stop the bleeding. Once you leave the office, the bleeding should subside rather quickly. It is good to keep the gauze in place and change it as needed until the bleeding mostly subsides. 

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