Tooth Extraction For Diabetic Patients

Diabetes can delay healing and affect your mouth in several ways, making tooth extractions more complex. Read more to learn about how we navigate a tooth extraction if you are diabetic.

Tooth Extraction: Causes & Symptoms

Causes of Tooth Extraction

Your dentist can recommend tooth extraction for numerous reasons, including:

• • Severe tooth decay.

Harmful oral bacteria can release harmful toxins that erode your tooth’s enamel, causing decay or cavities. If not treated timely, the decay continues to eat away the tooth structure. If caught on time, you can treat the decay with dental fillings, root canals, or crowns. However, if the tooth’s structure is severely damaged, it may not support a restoration, and tooth extraction may be necessary to protect the surrounding teeth, gums, and bone. Excellent oral hygiene is essential for cavity prevention.

• • Severe gum disease

Gum or periodontal disease refers to the infection and inflammation of the gum tissue. Severe gum disease or periodontitis can damage the tooth-supporting structures like the gums and bone, leading to loose teeth or tooth extraction.

• • Severe dental trauma

Your dentist will try to save your tooth if you’ve suffered serious dental injuries like chips, cracks, or breaks, maybe from sports or car accidents. However, tooth extraction may be unavoidable if the tooth is too weak or damaged to support a restoration.

• • Impacted teeth

Sometimes a wisdom tooth can get trapped below the gum line or erupt at the wrong angle, causing severe discomfort, swelling, infections, and damage to surrounding tissues. Tooth extraction oral surgery may be necessary to prevent further complications.

• • Teeth crowding

People with a small jaw can have too many teeth in the mouth, leading to crowding and misalignments. Extraction may be necessary to create enough for the remaining teeth to move to a natural position.

Signs You Need Tooth Extraction

The following signs can indicate that you need a tooth extraction, including:

• Severe tooth pain or discomfort
• Severe swelling around a tooth
• A dental abscess around a painful tooth
• Severe tooth pain and sensitivity
• Persistent bad breath
• Loose or shifting teeth
• Pain and swelling at the back of the mouth
• Difficulty chewing or biting down

Tooth Extraction for Diabetic Patients

Diabetes is a common but serious condition that affects the body’s ability to process blood glucose. Unfortunately, this can lead to numerous complications. As far as dental health is concerned, diabetes can affect tooth extraction recovery in several ways.

For instance, it can lead to a dry mouth and high sugar levels in the saliva. These issues encourage bacterial buildup in the mouth, increasing your risk of infections. They also make you vulnerable to various oral problems like oral thrush, gum disease, and tooth decay.

Similarly, diabetes significantly weakens your immune system and weakens your body’s ability to heal normally after dental extractions and other invasive procedures. It makes you vulnerable to more infections, dry sockets, pain, and bleeding.

How to avoid complications

Fortunately, there’s something you can do to minimize or prevent complications after a tooth extraction if you have diabetes.

• • Manage your blood sugar levels.

Having your blood sugar under control during tooth extraction promotes faster recovery and significantly lowers your risk of post-procedure complications. Following your doctor’s guidelines about diet, exercise, and medication can help keep your blood sugar levels normal, allowing you to heal and recover quickly from tooth extraction.

• • Let your dentist know you have diabetes.

You must inform any health provider about your diabetes before undergoing any treatment. Informing your dentist about your diabetes will help them design a customized treatment plan for a successful tooth extraction and recovery.

• • Follow your dentist’s aftercare instructions.

After tooth removal, your dentist will give several aftercare instructions that you should follow strictly to promote faster healing and recovery. These can include:

• Take medication as prescribed.
• Apply ice packs to the cheek against the affected area to minimize pain and swelling.
• Rest and avoid strenuous activities for at least 24 – 48 hours.
• Eat soft foods. Avoid hard, crunchy, hot, cold, or spicy foods and beverages.
• Avoid smoking and alcohol products.
• Avoid spitting, sucking, and rinsing vigorously.
• Maintain good oral hygiene.
• Use saltwater rinses.
• Notify the dentist immediately if your symptoms persist or worsen or if you develop an infection. Signs of complications can include severe pain, bleeding that won’t settle, worsening or persistent swelling, fever, or redness around the extraction site.

Visit an experienced dentist.

If you have diabetes, you must work with a highly qualified and experienced dentist or oral surgeon to minimize your risk of complications. Our dentist in Somerset, NJ, will consider your condition and create a personalized tooth extraction treatment plan for a successful and speedy recovery. For more information about dental extractions for diabetic patients, contact KK Dental – Somerset.