Tooth extractions are a basic dental procedure that is actually used for a multitude of reasons. A tooth is usually extracted when it is damaged and broken, making it essential that a professional is carrying out the procedure, as there are risks of damaging the nerves and muscles around the tooth if performed improperly.

Extractions are generally reserved for when the damage is considered irreparable even with other dental procedures like getting a crown. Here are some of the most common reasons for which we may suggest a tooth extraction:

Lack of Space– When an anatomical anomaly is observed, usually when a new tooth can’t grow properly in the right place due to excessive teeth around it.

Shark Teeth– When a baby tooth hasn’t been displaced naturally and needs to be forcefully removed to allow the new tooth to grow. These are often known as “shark teeth” because commonly the new teeth grow behind the baby teeth instead of beneath them, creating two distinct rows of teeth, like a shark’s.

For Other Procedures– In case of major oral surgery procedures like implants, dentures, and bridges where a single tooth might be preventing the surgeon from fitting a new set of false teeth or braces.

Weakened Teeth– If the teeth are weakened as a result of side effect of different prescription drugs or surgical procedures like chemotherapy.

Infection– If a tooth is the origin point for any oral infection.

The Procedure

Generally, when a tooth extraction is done, the dentist will require the patient to have recent X-ray from which he or she can determine the damage to the tooth and how it can be best handled. If you have other medical conditions, we may ask for information about these and any prescriptions you are taking in order to ensure there are no conflicting medical implications.

We’ll confirm a few important pieces of information through X-rays, such as the correlation of teeth with the sinus, any deformities preventing wisdom teeth from falling, the condition of the nerves around the jaw-bone, and more which helps us make a decisive decision regarding whether the tooth extraction should be carried out or not.

Based on these evaluations, the dentist can also prescribe pre-surgery medications to prevent any potential risks involved for the patient. This is usual for patients suffering from sensitive medical conditions or when dental health is especially poor and needs to be reinforced a bit before surgery. In the case of simple extractions, which are the most common extraction service people flock to dentists for, the doctor uses a tool called the elevator to loosen the target tooth and then use forceps to remove the tooth.

In the case of surgical extractions which are performed on broken or damaged teeth, the process becomes more complicated. This mainly involves making small incisions on the gums to loosen the teeth instead of doing it with the elevator.

A local anesthetic is applied before surgical extractions to eliminate any pain or discomfort during the process. For simple extractions, the pain is usually within a tolerable threshold so anesthetics are not often unnecessary.