Tooth Extractions

How to Prevent Dry Socket After Tooth Extraction

When you have a tooth extracted, a blood clot develops shortly after the surgery, which is your body beginning the healing process. If this blood clot becomes dislodged before your mouth has fully healed it can cause pain, this is called dry socket.

Six tips for avoiding dry socket are:

1. Avoid Straws or anything that creates a suction or large movement of air.
2. Avoid smoking tobacco as the fast inhalation can dislodge your blood clot and the chemicals may prevent healing or cause an infection.
3. Eat soft foods only like applesauce, yogurt and mashed potatoes for the first one or two days.
4. Inquire about any medicines you’re taking to ensure they don’t interact with the healing process.
5. Use proper oral hygiene to keep your mouth clean and consider an antibacterial mouthwash.
6. Follow your doctor’s instructions on proper oral care to improve recovery time.

When and why are wisdom teeth removed?

Wisdom teeth are the very last teeth to develop, and they grow in the very back of the mouth. In most cases, you will start to feel these teeth emerge when you are in your late teens or early twenties. Almost everyone has these teeth removed since they tend to grow at a severely slanted angle and will likely bump into other teeth and cause crowding. These is also very little space available for these teeth. Ultimately, about 85% of adults end up having their wisdom teeth removed.

What causes the need for tooth extraction?

Tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone. Teeth extraction usually occurs when a tooth has been broken or damaged by decay and there is too much damage for the tooth to be repaired by a filling or crown.

However, there are other reasons for tooth extraction including, extra teeth growing in that are blocking others, baby teeth that haven’t fallen out in time for the permanent teeth to come in, braces, wisdom teeth that are commonly removed or medical reasons.

How much does tooth extraction cost?

We aim to provide high-quality dental care that’s affordable for our patients in Lincoln, NE. Tooth extraction cost varies based on whether it’s a simple extraction or a surgical extraction. Out of pocket cost for any procedure depends on your insurance coverage at the time of the procedure.

• Tooth Extractions: $153 – $628

Certain PPO plans cover 80% depending on difficulty and billing code
Please note that the price of each procedure could vary from these numbers depending on the need–every patient and every case is different.

What are my tooth replacement options?

The best tooth replacement option that we offer is dental implants, but we can also create partial dentures or a dental bridge. Dental implants provide the most natural look and feel and also help prevent bone loss in the long term.