Dear Dr. Hall,
I had a tooth extraction of an upper molar and immediatley after my dentist set a bridge on top of the extraction without the allowed time for the site to have pressure applied and make sure the blood clot does form. Is this a normal way of practice or was the procedure rushed?
Thank you!
– Kelly from Texas
Dear Kelly,
It’s hard for me to tell without having seen this, but it sounds like everything turned out okay, and if it did your dentist probably did the right thing.
You didn’t say whether the dental bridge your dentist placed was a temporary bridge or a permanent one, but in either case, the bridge could have put some pressure on the site. However, the pressure may not have been necessary. Sometimes it doesn’t take long for the bleeding to stop–maybe five minutes is all. And there are other ways besides using pressure to make it happen more quickly, such as placing gelfoam, placing an astringent, or using electrocautery. And sometimes the bleeding stops fairly quickly without any pressure or other aids. Pressure is just an easy and convenient way to help insure that it stops if the dentist isn’t right there watching it.
The thing that is nice about what he or she did is that, when a tooth is extracted, the teeth on either side tend to move, and movement can disrupt your bite or lead to other problems. Placing the bridge immediately would prevent any movement of adjacent teeth.
Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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