What is an extraction?
An extraction is the complete removal of a tooth when there is too much damage, preventing it from being repaired.
We’re committed to saving your original teeth whenever possible but sometimes having a tooth pulled can be unavoidable. If a tooth must be removed in order to preserve your overall health, we take the utmost care to ensure your extraction is as quick and painless as possible.
Why would I need an extraction?
You may need to have a tooth extracted due to damage or breakage, infection or severe decay, obstruction to incoming teeth, or if you have an impacted wisdom tooth.
If not addressed, many of these issues can lead to discomfort, pain, the spread of infection, or other issues that can impact your overall health. By removing the tooth, we will eliminate the source of the problem, helping you avoid further complications, assisting your recovery, and preparing you for future restorative treatments such as implants or dentures.
What are the reasons for extracting teeth?
A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, including tooth decay, impacted or problematic wisdom teeth, for orthodontic treatment, and periodontal disease.
The most common reason for extracting a tooth is tooth damage due to breakage or decay. Some other possible reasons for tooth extraction are as follows:
- Extra teeth which are blocking other teeth from coming in.
- Severe gum disease which may affect the surrounding tissues and bone structures of teeth.
- Severe tooth decay or infection.
- In preparation for orthodontic treatment (braces).
- Insufficient space for wisdom teeth (impacted wisdom teeth).
- Receiving radiation to the head and neck may require extraction of teeth in the field of radiation.
Simple and surgical extractions
Extractions are often categorised as “simple” or “surgical”.
- Simple extractions are performed on teeth that are visible in the mouth, usually under local anaesthetic, and require only the use of instruments to elevate and/or grasp the visible portion of the tooth. Typically the tooth is lifted using an elevator, and subsequently using dental forceps, rocked back and forth until the periodontal ligament has been sufficiently broken and the supporting alveolar bone has been adequately widened to make the tooth loose enough to remove.
- Surgical extractions involve the removal of teeth that cannot be easily accessed, either because they have broken under the gum line or they have not erupted fully or they have roots that lock into your jaw bone. In a surgical extraction the dentist may elevate the soft tissues covering the tooth and bone and may also remove some of the overlying and/or surrounding bone tissue with a drill. Frequently, the tooth may be split into multiple pieces to facilitate its removal.
