To ensure you feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure, your dentist will use local anesthesia on and around the extraction site.
Your dentist may recommend sedation for your tooth extraction. If you are an anxious patient, feel free to ask your dentist for options. Sedation can help you relax and feel comfortable during longer extraction procedures.
Using special instruments, your dentist will slowly and gently loosen the tooth before extraction. When sufficient mobility of the tooth is achieved, your dentist will gently remove it from the socket.
After the tooth has been removed, your dentist will clean and disinfect the area. If necessary, a suture or two may be placed over the extraction site to ensure proper healing.
Once you and your dentist have determined that the fit of your bridge feels right, they will use powerful dental cement to attach it permanently to your abutment teeth, restoring your smile and your bite.
While your dentist will always try to save your tooth first, an extraction may be necessary for teeth that have been severely damaged by injuries, gum disease, or decay.
For example, a tooth may not be possible to save with a root canal if it is deeply infected. Your dentist may recommend an extraction instead. A dental implant, dental bridge, or partial denture can be used to replace your missing tooth and restore the natural function of your smile.
Bone grafts, or bone tissue transplants, are used to repair and reinforce weakened, fractured, or otherwise traumatized bones within the body.
When you lose a tooth, or have a tooth extracted, the jaw is no longer being stimulated by regular chewing and bite forces, and it begins to deteriorate through a process called bone resorption. The weakened bone must be fortified in order to properly support something like the post of a dental implant. Bone grafting uses natural or synthetic bone minerals that fuse with the existing jaw and stimulate bone growth. The healing time is similar to that of a tooth extraction, but it will take 3 to 6 months for the bone to completely heal.
Tooth extractions may be necessary for patients with cavities too extensive to be filled or crowned, broken or fractured teeth, or those teeth that are too infected to be treated effectively with root canal therapy. In most cases, it is possible to save your tooth with restorative treatment, but sometimes an extraction is the only option.
Improper wisdom teeth growth is the most common reason for tooth extractions. If your dentist sees that your wisdom teeth are impacted or failing to erupt properly, an extraction may be recommended to ensure that your other teeth remain healthy. Not everyone needs their wisdom teeth to be removed, however. Consult with your dentist to find out if your wisdom teeth are or will be a problem.
A tooth extraction may be required if severe periodontal disease is compromising the health of the tooth, causing it to loosen from the gums. Your dentist may want to extract these teeth to prepare you for a strong and long-lasting tooth replacement option, such as dental implants or dentures.
Thanks to numbing and sedation treatments, you won’t feel any pain or discomfort during or immediately after your extraction procedure. However, symptoms such as pain, discomfort, swelling, bruising, and bleeding may begin to arise within a few hours following your extraction. While these symptoms tend to peak within the first 2-3 days, they will begin to fade as you continue to heal. Make sure to eat a diet of mostly soft foods for 5-7 days after your treatment to prevent agitation of the area.
It will take about 1-2 weeks to completely heal from the extraction. By carefully following the recovery instructions provided to you by your dentist, you can enhance the healing progress. It is not normal to endure severe pain and discomfort 1-2 weeks after your extraction, so contact your dentist for a follow-up appointment if you are experiencing these symptoms.
Extractions that are required to remove impacted wisdom teeth, or damaged or decayed teeth, are typically covered by insurance. To fully understand your coverage and benefits, we recommend that you contact your insurance provider.
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