Dear Patients,

As the summer winds down and our children prepare to return to school, the Cleveland Indians are still in the hunt for first place. Go Tribe!

I am often asked, “What should I expect after I get a tooth/teeth removed?”. The most common symptoms at an extraction site are pain, swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness, and a foul odor. These are all manageable symptoms and can be anticipated with any extraction. Some of the most common symptoms in smokers are dry sockets and bone spurs.

These are common in smokers because the chemicals in cigarettes, cigars, and chew are toxic to the healing bone and tissue. This causes tissue sloughage and necrosis (bone death). There are rare occasions which are very serious; when a patient is running a fever 101 degrees or greater, if the patient has trouble breathing, and if the patient has swelling in the lower portion of their neck. These are issues in which the doctor should be called immediately regardless of what time of day it is.

Should you or someone you love have any questions regarding tooth/teeth extractions please contact our office for a consultation.

Sincerely,

Michael W. Dagostino, DDS