Tooth Extractions – Lincoln, NE
Expert Tooth Extractions for Lincoln Families
While removing a tooth is never our dentistry team’s first choice, in cases of severe dental damage or decay, it’s sometimes the best thing we can do to protect and preserve a dental patient’s oral health. We know this procedure can cause some dentistry patients to feel very nervous, which is why our dentists always use a gentle touch as well as a local anesthetic. If you or a loved one ever needs to have a tooth extracted, we can promise that you won’t have to feel a thing and will receive the exceptional care that you deserve when you visit us for tooth extractions in Lincoln, NE.
Why Choose South Ridge Dental For a Tooth Extraction?
- In-House Extractions
- Sedation Methods Available
- Skilled and Experienced Team of Dental Professionals
Why Do You Need a Tooth Extracted?
The main kind of tooth extractions that patients think about is getting wisdom teeth removed. While this is a common procedure for many teens and adults, there are additional reasons that someone may need their tooth removed. Some of these include:
- Crowding
- Infection
- Severe Decay
- Compromised Teeth Due to Medical Treatments Like Chemotherapy
When you visit your dentist in Lincoln, which will either be Dr. Steven Shaffer or Dr. Ryan Shaffer, they’ll make you feel well-cared for and comfortable before your extraction. Our team is focused on providing the best customer service and creating a warm environment to reduce any anxiety or nervousness you may be experiencing.
How Does the Process Work?
During your extraction, we’ll administer a local anesthetic to numb the area where we’ll be removing the damaged tooth. This way, you won’t have to experience any pain, and you’ll be relaxed and asleep throughout the procedure. We’ll then loosen and remove the tooth. If it’s impacted, we may need to divide it into smaller pieces to remove it.
Once we’ve removed the tooth, we’ll place gauze over the socket to help the blood clot. We may even place a couple of stitches over the area to aid healing. At South Ridge Dental, we utilize the most advanced technology to make your procedure as smooth and pain-free as possible.
What Can You Do For a Speedy Recovery?
Following your tooth extraction in Lincoln, we’ll send you home with some aftercare instructions to help you get through the next few days. Here are some additional tips to help reduce your risk of infection and heal faster:
- Take pain medication as prescribed.
- Change your gauze pad.
- Apply an ice pack to the outside area of your face to keep swelling down.
- Limit your activity for the following two days.
- Don’t drink from a straw.
- Don’t smoke.
- Eat soft foods.
- Continue brushing, flossing, and cleaning your tongue, gently.
If you have additional questions or concerns during your healing process, you can always call us up at 402-480-6199, and we will be more than happy to walk you through any issues or schedule an emergency dentistry visit. Our dental team will work with you to provide you with custom-tailored and high-quality dental care.
Understanding the Cost of Tooth Extractions
When a tooth needs to be removed, one of the first questions on your mind is likely to be how much the procedure will cost. The tooth extraction process isn’t exactly the same for every patient, so the cost is something that will vary from patient to patient. Our team will make sure that you’re fully aware of how much you can expect to pay for the treatment before you have to commit to anything. We can also explain what options are available at our dental office for making the treatment fit into your budget more easily.
Factors That Can Affect Tooth Extraction
We can only put together an estimate for the cost of tooth extraction once we’ve had a chance to examine your mouth and assess the situation. There are several factors that we need to consider before we can put a price on your treatment. For example:
- The number of teeth being extracted is important. Removing a single tooth will be far less costly than taking multiple teeth out of your mouth.
- The more difficult the extraction is, the higher the cost will be. A simple extraction for a fully erupted tooth will carry a very different cost than a surgical extraction for teeth that are trapped beneath your gums.
- The next steps after the procedure can add to the cost. In particular, you’ll likely want to replace a missing tooth with a dental implant or a bridge. The amount you pay for a replacement depends on what type of restoration you get.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Tooth Extractions?
Many dental insurance plans will cover around half the cost of tooth extractions once you’ve met your deductible. Not all plans are alike, though; some might only pay to have a certain number of teeth removed, and others might have a waiting period before you can receive coverage. We recommend calling your dental insurance company to confirm what benefits you have. Our team can help explain any parts of your plan that you don’t fully understand so that you can maximize your savings.
Other Options for Making Tooth Extractions Affordable
Patients without dental insurance often wonder how they can afford tooth extraction. Luckily, at South Ridge Dental, we offer a few different ways to take care of your wallet along with your smile. We offer an in-house membership plan for uninsured patients – you simply pay a flat fee, and for one year you’ll get a discount on a variety of treatments.
We can also help you apply for CareCredit financing so that the cost of your extraction doesn’t put as much strain on your budget. CareCredit lets you pick from one of several payment plans; instead of having to cover the entire cost all at once, you’ll be able to pay in a series of small monthly installments that are much easier to manage.
Tooth Extraction frequently Asked Questions
Are you worried about your upcoming tooth extraction in Lincoln? Ruminating over the unknown can cause you to worry and become nervous about your procedure. At South Ridge Dental, we want you to feel comfortable, prepared, and relaxed knowing that we’ll quickly and painlessly remove your damaged tooth to improve your oral health. That’s why we’ve answered some common questions we receive from patients below.
Will it hurt to have a tooth extracted?
Depending on how comfortable you are and whether your extraction is more complicated or not, we will determine whether local anesthesia or sedation dentistry is the best way to help you remain calm, relaxed, and comfortable. At South Ridge Dental, we want to make sure the process of having your tooth removed isn’t traumatizing or uncomfortable for you, which is why the first thing we do before we start the procedure is make sure that you can’t feel a thing. If you have any questions or are nervous about your extraction, don’t hesitate to contact our dental office so we can help ease your worries by providing you with the answers.
Are there benefits to having a tooth extracted?
At South Ridge Dental, we only offer tooth extractions for patients who absolutely need it to preserve their oral health. They can provide a variety of benefits as well, including:
- Prevent Reoccurring Infections: If you suffer from reoccurring tooth infections, removing the tooth can prevent the problem from spreading.
- Make More Room In Your Mouth: For patients who are undergoing orthodontic treatment or restoring their smile with dental implants, you may need to have a tooth removed to make more room in your mouth.
- Ease Your Pain: Tooth infections and dental trauma can cause serious pain. Removing the issue can help ease your discomfort and allow you to restore your smile.
Do I need to replace my tooth after I get it extracted?
Whether you’re having a single tooth or multiple teeth extracted, it’s important to replace them to preserve your jawbone density and the health of your remaining teeth. The roots of your teeth provide necessary blood flow and stimulation to your jawbone, and when they are removed, it can cause the area to erode and thin out. Fortunately, we provide a variety of tooth-replacement options, including dental implants in Lincoln. These will restore the entire structure of your missing teeth from the roots up, completely revitalizing your grin.
What is a dry socket?
People who get their wisdom teeth extracted are often wary about painful dry sockets. When the area where your teeth were removed isn’t properly maintained, the blood clot can loosen, causing a dry socket. The best way to avoid this from occurring is to not use straws, smoke cigarettes, or brush too aggressively on or around your extraction site. Not only will this problem slow down the healing process, but sometimes it can require needing additional treatment as well. We’ll provide you with aftercare instructions to help you keep this from happening. Plus, if you have any questions, all you have to do is call our dental office!