Tooth extraction is always a last resort to many dental patients. There are various reasons whereby tooth extraction may be required, a common cause of tooth extraction is badly destroyed teeth either from decay or accidents that may leave the tooth beyond repair.
Other reasons that may prompt the need for tooth extraction are:
Crowded Mouth
Though a rare case, various people may have extra teeth which may prevent other teeth from coming out. In other cases, milk teeth may fail to come out in time in kids thus blocking space for permanent teeth to grow. The main aim of this is to ensure that teeth are properly aligned.
Gum Diseases
Bacterial infections of the jaw bone and fibers supporting the teeth may make the teeth or tooth to become loose, which may make it necessary to pull the affected teeth.
Risk of Infection
This is mainly experienced when a tooth or teeth may be susceptible to infection more so for people receiving chemotherapy treatment in the head or neck regions. Teeth in the field of radiation may need to be pulled out.
So, what are the steps followed in tooth extraction process;
Preparation
Before extracting your tooth, a dentist will take an X-ray of the affected region to devise a plan on how best to 
extract the tooth. As a patient, be sure to provide any relevant information concerning your medical history and also dental records. Often, the X-ray provides detailed info on your dental such as:
- In cases where a wisdom tooth need be extracted, it will show its connection with other teeth.
- The correlation between your upper teeth and your sinuses.
- Nerve connection between the teeth and the lower jawbone that is responsible for your lower lip and chin movements.
- Any infections or diseases that may be present.
Aftercare
Recovery and healing usually take a few days. There are a couple of ways that will aid in your recovery and also keep the pain in check.
- Immediately after extraction, the dentist will place a gauze on the tooth socket, ensure that you place gentle pressure on it to prevent excessive bleeding it will also help the blood clot faster.
- To tone down the swelling, you can place an ice bag on the cheek, immediately after extraction for a duration of say 10 minutes.
- Avoid spitting with force or rinsing your mouth to prevent destroying the clot formed in the tooth socket.
- During normal brushing or flossing take great caution not to go over the affected part as apart from being painful it may lead to an infection.
- Slight pain after the anesthetic wears off is normal for a certain duration of time, but should the pain prolong you should go back to your dentist. Other causes of alarm can be signs of an infection on the affected area, swelling or excessive discharge should be reported to the dentist.