Sometimes after a dental operation there can be side effects or health consequences that you need to be aware of. One of the most common is called dry socket and will require treatment from your Central London dentist. Dry sockets occur when teeth have been extracted and blood clots form in the hole left by the missing tooth. If for any reason this clot gets washed away then it can leave the sensitive area and even the bone exposed to bacteria found in the mouth. I’m sure you don’t need to be told to imagine the wider health consequences this could have for the health of your mouth. Certain factors make patients more susceptible to dry sockets. These include smoking, diabetes and female patients who are using birth control medication.

One of the main symptoms of dry sockets is pain. This will initially occur around the area of the missing tooth but can quickly spread to other areas of the mouth if not treated quickly. This pain is often very severe and can’t be controlled with over-the-counter medication. The other main symptoms are a very bad taste in the mouth and having bad breath as a result of the infection that develops.

It is always, therefore, a good idea to keep an eye on any areas that have been the sight of a recent extraction or other dental surgery. If you suspect that you may be suffering, you need to make an appointment as soon as possible with your dentist. They will take an x-ray to examine for any signs of infection and then treat the area according to your needs.

However, the best way to avoid dry sockets is to make sure that your teeth are clean and in good condition before any kind of dental surgery. This can significantly reduce the chances of suffering.

When you need oral surgery, it is very important to make sure that you feel comfortable with your dentist, as well as the setting where the surgery will be performed. In most cases, you will not need to go to a hospital, unless you have certain medical conditions. Therefore, if you need to have oral surgery, you will be able to enjoy the security of being in a familiar office setting. For example, if you usually see a London dentist, you will be able to have various kinds of surgery at that office.

Consider a situation where you need gum or jawbone surgery. Typically, your dentist will have all of the tools and medications that are required for these procedures. You will also find that your dentist can provide you with sedatives and other medications that may be required to ensure that you do not experience pain or distress during the procedure.

Before you have oral surgery, you should always make sure that your primary care doctor knows about it. This will make it possible for you to stop certain medications that might present problems during your oral surgery. For example, if you are on blood thinners, you may need to stop taking them for a few days. While your dentist will also ask about your medical history and current conditions, it will always be to your advantage to make sure that you gain insight and advice from all of your health care providers.

If you are going to have oral surgery, it may also be of some help to plan on a few days off from work. Even if you wind up not needing extra time, at least you will not need to worry about calling in sick at the last minute. As may be expected, if you have children or look after other people in your household, it may also be of some help to have a baby sitter or another family member on hand to take care of your regular duties. While most oral surgeries do not pose many recovery issues, it is always best to be prepared.

In almost every circumstance, your dentist will numb your mouth enough to prevent pain during various procedures. Nevertheless, if the sound of dental drills and other equipment makes you nervous, it may be necessary to have sedation. Today, a City of London dentist can provide you with a number of different medications to help you relax and remain as comfortable as possible.

As may be expected, your dentist can give you nitrous oxide, as well as stronger forms of sedation. Depending on the nature of the procedure, your dentist may be able to give you a full anaesthesia. That said, you should do your best to ask for the minimal amount of sedation required to help you get through the procedure. This will make it easier for you to resume natural activities as quickly as possible.

If you do not want chemical forms of sedation, there are some other options. In particular, many people find that spending a few minutes listening to relaxing music helps them to get through most dental procedures. Even if you do not like the sound of dental drills or suction devices, they are much more tolerable once you refocus on your mind.

When you are planning to ask for sedation, your dentist will want to make sure that it is medically safe. Therefore, if you have certain illnesses, your dentist may want to discuss the matter with your regular doctor. You may also find that you need to stop taking certain medications prior to receiving certain sedatives. These are all issues that you will need to weigh in terms of benefits and risks.

Unfortunately, if you have fears or anxieties associated with dental procedures, it can be hard to control yourself. In most cases, a sedative can make it easier for you to remain calm while you undergo oral therapy. That said, if you are taking medications for other health conditions, or you want to look into alternative relaxation methods, it may be worth your while to do so. Regardless of the method you choose, there is never a reason to put off dental procedures because you feel you will be too nervous.

Even though your wisdom teeth may not have erupted, they can cause all kinds of problems. For example, if they start to erupt, and then stop, the gum tissue around them can be easily irritated. This is especially important to consider if there is a small flap of gum covering the tooth. As may be expected, irritation can often lead to infection. Wisdom teeth can also cause all kinds of jaw pain, as well as throw your other teeth out of alignment.

If your wisdom teeth are impacted, it will be to your advantage to have them removed as quickly as possible. Fortunately, you can have this procedure done at a London dental office. Depending on the situation, your dentist may remove two wisdom teeth from one side of your mouth, and then do the other two at a later date.

In general, most people will not need to go to an oral surgeon to have wisdom teeth removed. That said, if you have other conditions that need to be considered, your dentist may feel that you need the extra skills offered by an oral surgeon. Fortunately, even if you do have to go to an oral surgeon, you will still be able to have the procedure done in an office setting, as opposed to in a hospital.

Many people today forget about wisdom teeth until they start causing problems. For example, you may not even think about them until you have swollen gums, or notice that there is a funny taste in your mouth. By this time, the wisdom tooth and the surrounding gum are probably infected. Once that happens, you will need to go on antibiotics, as well as have the tooth removed. Without a question, you are better off preventing this situation, rather than go through it as your mouth changes with age.

Undergoing dental care does not have to be scary, stressful or painful. Your London dentist can perform sedation to help you overcome dental phobias and make your dental visit anxiety- and stress-free.
Many dental problems remained unattended because people refused to visit their dentists due to dental phobias. Most often, they will have to wait until their teeth problems worsened before they go and see their dentists.
Through sedation, a patient may undergo dental care or treatment without feeling fear or anxiety. The sedation dentistry procedure involves:
• The use of sedatives to make the patient relax and allow the dentist to perform dental care and treatment.
• Sedatives, such as anxiolytics and tranquilizers, are administered on patients and affect their central nervous system (CNS).
There are various types of sedation that may aid dental procedures:
• Oral conscious – this type of sedation involves giving oral sedatives to patients before they undergo dental treatment.
• Inhalation – a sedation process that makes use of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, to eliminate pain and produce a desirable and warm feeling on dental patients.
• Intravenous – involves administering of a drug that will make the dental patient relax through an injection.
• Intramuscular – injection of a sedative drug into the upper arm or upper thigh muscles.
• Local anaesthesia – it lessens the pain but does not deaden the patient’s awareness of his surroundings.
Patients who have allergic reactions to medications should inform their London dentists beforehand to avoid any complication.

Oral surgery is a field of London dentistry that involves diagnosis, treatment and surgery of injuries, diseases and defects of both esthetic and functional aspects of the soft and hard tissues of the mouth, head, gums, jaws, neck, teeth and jaws.
There are several dental conditions that may need oral surgery, including:
• Impacted wisdom teeth. Known as third molars, wisdom teeth sometime fail to develop properly or to fully come out through the patient’s gum line. This may cause the patient’s molar to be entrapped between his gum tissue and jawbone. An impacted third molar can result in pain, infection and swelling of the gum tissue. An impacted problem may also cause damage to other teeth, bone and gums. Sometimes the problem may lead to cyst or tumor formation and may destroy parts of the jaw.

• Tooth loss. Dental implant surgery is an option to restore missing teeth. The dental implants are surgically placed in the patient’s jawbone to stabilize the artificial tooth. Patients who are suitable to undergo dental implant surgery are those who have enough bone density, not prone to infection and are willing to maintain regular and proper oral hygiene regimen.

• Correcting jaw irregularity. Oral surgery may be needed to improve denture fit.

• Correcting unequal jaw growth. For those who have unequal lower and upper jaw growth, oral surgery may be needed to correct these problems. Unequal jaw growth may cause difficulty in eating, speaking, breathing and swallowing. London oral surgery will move part of the lower jaw or upper jaw into a balanced, healthy and functional position.

One of the most common dental procedures is tooth extraction. In order to feel more comfortable with the idea of having your tooth removed by a London dentist, it will probably help if you learn about what this procedure involves.

Simply put, tooth extraction is the removal of one or more teeth as part of a treatment program. There are actually a lot of reasons why your dentist will recommend extraction of the tooth and they include the following:

• Decaying tooth – if not extracted, it could lead to nerve damage and painful abscess due to infection
• Teeth crowding – if your teeth are simply too big for your mouth resulting to crooked teeth. Removal of a tooth or several teeth will solve this problem.
• Impacted tooth – when one of your tooth is impacted
• Gum disease – if the tooth have loosened because of damage to the bone and ligaments that hold it in place

The tooth extraction procedure will involve the use of sedative to help alleviate your anxiety as well as anaesthesia. Depending on your preference, you can choose to stay awake or be asleep for the entire procedure.

Using an elevator and special forceps, your dentist will first loosen the target tooth and then move it gently until the actual extraction. You should expect bleeding from the site and there are even cases when the procedure will require stitches.

Some swelling and discomfort will be experienced after the tooth extraction. You could ask your dentist for a mild pain reliever. There are actually very few complications that come with this dental procedure including:

• Sever pain
• Fever
• Prolonged bleeding
• Severe swelling

If you experience any of these, you should immediately contact your London dentist

Why is a tooth extraction performed? An extraction is performed when a tooth is broken down, or severely decayed and/or damaged. When visiting a London dentist, they may attempt to try to save the tooth by performing fillings, or root canal treatment and a crown. However, if it is decided by you and your dentist that the tooth cannot be saved, then a tooth extraction will be performed. It is the process of removing the tooth from its surrounding bony structure.
There are several other reasons why a tooth may require extraction. These include the following: 1) the eruption of a tooth may be hindered by another tooth as in the case of wisdom teeth and other impacted teeth; 2) if orthodontic treatment is required and there is not enough space in your mouth; 3) if you are undergoing head and neck radiation your teeth may be destroyed by the X-rays and lack of saliva in your mouth; 4) if you are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer tooth infections may occur, as these drugs weaken the overall immune system; and 5) if you have undergone or plan to undergo an organ transplant, as you have be much more prone to infections because you are taking immune system suppressing drugs.

Many types of dental surgery procedures are offered at the London Dental Clinic, and your surgical problems will be properly addressed. Various circumstances call for dental surgery. These circumstances may entail the removal of impacted third molars and other teeth that are beyond saving. There are times when there is enough room for complete third molar development. However, under other circumstances there isn’t adequate room in the mouth, and result is an impacted tooth/teeth. There are different types of impactions, including soft tissue and/or the hard bony tissue impactions. These may cause difficulties with your second molars, get infected, and form cysts and sometimes tumours around them. Therefore, you should have these teeth extracted. Other teeth can also be impacted, thus requiring removal.
Other dental surgeries include: the placement of dental implants to replace missing teeth; correction of jaw disharmonies; repair of broken jaws and mouth lacerations; removal of lesions, cysts, and tumours; tissue biopsies; TMJ problems; frenal attachment repositioning; repair of cleft lip and palate; help for facial infections; and help with snoring problems and sleep apnea.

At the London Dental Clinic, your oral surgery problems can be addressed and treated. There are several situations that require oral surgery. These include the extraction of teeth and the treatment and extraction of impacted wisdom teeth (i.e., third molars). More often than not, there is not enough room in the mouth for wisdom teeth to fully erupt. If they don’t half enough room, that will become impacted either in the soft tissue and/or the hard bony tissue. They can cause damage to the second molars, become infected, or cysts and tumours can form around them. So, it is highly recommended that you have these teeth removed. Canine teeth and premolars can also become impacted, and will require extraction in many cases.
If you are missing a tooth or several teeth, oral surgery is used to place an implant(s). Dental implant patients should have enough bone for the dental implant to be placed. You London dental clinic will perform the necessary examinations to see if you are a good candidate for dental implant(s). Oral surgery can also help correct uneven jaw growth problems, broken jaws, temopo-mandibular joint problems, and can also help with denture fit. Additional problems that can be treated with oral surgery are lacerations of the mouth, the removal of dental lesions that require a biopsy, infections of the face, repair of cleft lip and palate, and sleep apnoea and snoring problems. Visit your London dental clinic to learn more!