Pineville Extractions

No. Having a tooth extracted at Pineville Family Dentistry will not hurt at all. During your procedure, Dr. Babb will numb the treatment area using topical numbing spray and a numbing needle, which numbs all of the nerves near your extraction site. 

Not only that, but we also offer sedation dentistry at Pineville Family Dentistry. We offer both nitrous oxide sedation (laughing gas), as well as oral sedation, which uses a pill-based anti-anxiety medication.

Laughing gas provides light sedation, while oral sedation will put you into a deeper state of sedation where you may fall asleep or forget what happens during your procedure. For more information or to see if you’re a good candidate for sedation, contact Pineville Family Dentistry for an appointment with Dr. Babb. 

It will usually take about 1-2 weeks for you to fully heal and recover from a tooth extraction. Issues like pain, bleeding, swelling, and bruising will peak within a few days, then begin to fade. Your mouth will feel more normal after a week, and most patients are fully healed within 2 weeks.
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During this time, you’ll follow some special instructions from Dr. Babb. You’ll need to eat a diet of mostly soft foods, avoid exercise and heavy exertion for a few days, avoid spitting forcefully or using a straw for 24-48 hours, and take special precautions when cleaning the extraction site. Make sure to follow Dr. Babb’s directions closely to ensure your mouth heals properly after surgery.

It isn’t always necessary to remove wisdom teeth. If your third molars grow in without overcrowding the rest of your teeth or becoming impacted and painful, there is no need to have them removed. It’s always a good idea to schedule an appointment with Dr. Babb when your wisdom teeth start to erupt so he can assess their growth and check for any issues. Are your wisdom teeth erupting? Call our Pineville dental team today at (318) 704-5757 to schedule an appointment to make sure they are growing in properly.

This depends on why you’ve had a tooth extracted. If you have a wisdom tooth extraction, that tooth will not need to be replaced, since it’s not an essential part of your mouth, and you probably don’t have enough room in your mouth for another tooth anyway.
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But if you have one of your other teeth removed due to a tooth infection, dental trauma, or another issue like gum disease, you will need to have it replaced. Missing one or more teeth can make you self-conscious about your appearance, interferes with speech, and makes it harder to eat your favorite foods.
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Not only that, but your remaining teeth may shift toward the now-missing tooth, causing issues with your bite. To avoid these problems, Dr. Babb will suggest a tooth replacement like a dental implant, partial denture, or a dental bridge. He will discuss your options in more detail at your appointment at Pineville Family Dentistry.

Yes. Unless you’ve had a wisdom tooth pulled, you should replace your missing tooth as soon as you can. Dr. Troy Babb can discuss your options for replacing your tooth before you have it extracted, and ensure you choose the right one for your situation.
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It’s important to replace your missing tooth for a few different reasons. First, losing a tooth, particularly a front tooth, can negatively affect your appearance and self-confidence. It may also make it harder to eat your favorite foods, and to speak clearly. 
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Losing a tooth also has negative effects on your oral health. Once you lose a tooth, the nearby teeth tend to shift toward the empty socket to try to fill up the gap. This may cause problems with the alignment of your teeth over time. 
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For these reasons and quite a few more, we recommend you replace your tooth as soon as possible with a partial denture, a dental bridge, or a dental implant. Each treatment has its own unique pros and cons, so we recommend discussing your options with Dr. Babb during your consultation at Pineville Family Dentistry. 

In total, it will take most patients about 2 weeks to fully recover from a tooth extraction. By this time, your extraction site will have healed completely, with new bone and gum tissue growing over the area and sealing it. It may still feel a bit tender, but it should not cause any pain or discomfort. 
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Bleeding, bruising, swelling, and pain are to be expected immediately after your treatment. These usually begin to fade after a few days, and after about a week, you shouldn’t be experiencing too much discomfort. 
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However, you will need to follow some special instructions provided to you by Dr. Babb to make sure that your mouth heals properly. We also recommend that, if possible, you take a day or two off of work or school. You should also avoid heavy lifting, exertion, and exercise for a few days. This gives you time to rest and relax immediately after your extraction, and can help you recover more quickly. 

We usually recommend waiting at least an hour after your extraction to eat. Once your mouth has stopped bleeding, you can remove your gauze pack and have something to eat. You will need to eat a diet of liquid or very soft foods for the first few days after your extraction, and you should avoid hot foods and drinks for at least a few hours after your surgery.
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We recommend smoothies, milkshakes, blended vegetable soups like tomato soup, greek yogurt, and similar soft foods. After 24-48 hours, you can start eating foods that require a bit of chewing, such as macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, avocado, eggs, cottage cheese, and other such foods.
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You will usually need to eat a diet of liquid or soft foods until about a week after surgery, or whenever you find that you’re able to chew without pain or discomfort. When you chew, you should also avoid chewing on the side of your mouth where your tooth has been extracted, if possible.