Tooth Extraction

What is the procedure for removing a tooth?

Depending on whether your tooth is visible or affected, you’ll have a simple or surgical extraction.

Extraction is simple.

A local anesthetic will be used to numb the area around your tooth. Allowing you to feel simply pressure rather than pain during the process. The dentist will then use an elevator to loosen the tooth and forceps to remove it.

Extraction via surgery

You will almost certainly be given both local and intravenous anesthesia, the latter of which will make you calm and relaxed. You may also be given general anesthesia, depending on your medical history. It may happen that you will be entirely unconscious during the procedure if you are given general anesthetic.

The conventional dentist or oral surgeon will make a small incision in your gum. Before your tooth can be extracted, they may need to remove bone around it or cut it.

What are the risks of having a tooth extracted?

There are a few risks to having a tooth extracted. However, if your dentist recommends the procedure, the benefits will most likely outweigh the minor risks.

Normally, a blood clot forms in the socket—the hole in the bone where the tooth was extracted—after tooth extraction. However, if the blood clot does not form or dislodge, the bone inside the socket may become exposed, a condition known as “dry socket.” If this happens, the dentist will apply a sedative dressing to the affected area for a few days to protect it.

What are the reasons for tooth pulling?

Despite the fact that permanent teeth are designed to last a lifetime. Tooth extraction may be necessary for a variety of reasons. A common reason is a tooth that has been badly damaged by trauma or decay and cannot be repaired. Other reasons are as follows:

A swollen mouth Dentists may pull teeth to prepare the mouth for orthodontics. The goal of orthodontics is to align the teeth properly. It may be impossible if your teeth are too large for your mouth. Similarly, if a tooth cannot break through the gum (erupt) due to a lack of space in the mouth, your dentist may recommend pulling it.

Infection– If tooth decay or damage reaches the pulp (the center of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels), bacteria in the mouth can enter and cause infection. Often, this can be corrected with root canal therapy (RCT), but if the infection is severe enough that antibiotics or RCT are ineffective, extraction may be required to prevent infection spread.

Infection danger– If your immune system is compromised (for example, if you are undergoing chemotherapy or an organ transplant), even the risk of infection in a specific tooth may be reason enough to pull it.

Periodontal disease (gum disease)– If periodontal disease (infection of the tissues and bones that surround and support the teeth) has caused tooth loosening, the tooth or teeth may need to be extracted.

What Can You Expect From Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extractions are performed by dentists and oral surgeons (dentists who have received additional training to perform surgery). Your dentist will administer a local anesthetic injection to numb the area where the tooth will be extracted. Your dentist may use a strong general anesthetic in some cases. This will alleviate pain throughout your body and put you to sleep during the procedure.

If the tooth is impacted, the dentist will first remove the gum and bone tissue that surrounds it, then use forceps to gently rock the tooth back and forth to liberate it from the jaw bone and ligaments that maintain it in place. At times, a difficult-to-pull tooth may have to be extracted in pieces.

When a tooth is extracted, a blood clot usually forms in the socket. To stop the bleeding, the dentist will insert a gauze pad into the socket and have you bite down on it. To close the gum edges over the extraction site, the dentist may place a few stitches, which are usually self-dissolve.

Occasionally, the blood clot in the socket ruptures, exposing the bone in the socket. It is a painful condition known as a “dry socket.” If this occurs, your dentist will most likely apply a sedative dressing to the socket for a few days to protect it while new clot forms.