As dentists, we’d love to avoid performing extractions as much as possible by emphasizing prevention and early detection of oral health problems so they can be treated promptly and less invasively.
However, the truth is, extractions are a necessary evil. We want to avoid them because your teeth are important and play an important role in your oral health and development. Without your teeth, small daily functions like speaking and eating become much more difficult, and even bigger consequences like irreversible bone loss are unavoidable without replacing teeth with dental implants.
However, some teeth are so damaged, decayed, loose, or otherwise unhealthy that they can’t be restored and the best way to move forward is to remove this tooth and replace it. Extractions are necessary for an array of reasons, including tooth decay, gum disease, infection, impaction, dental trauma, overcrowding, or to make room for orthodontic treatment.
We will always exhaust all other restorative options first before resorting to the removal of a tooth. Contact us at TJ O'Shea DMD today to schedule a consultation.
Most basic tooth extractions fully heal within 3 to 4 weeks.
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Our Roswell dentist will examine your tooth and take x-rays to assess the severity of any damage or oral health problems. Digital scans will also help us analyze its position and whether or not it can be simply removed.
To make the process more comfortable for you, Dr. O’Shea always administers numbing agents to make the procedure feel as comfortable as possible.
Before we can remove the tooth, we need to loosen it. This is done with a dental elevator. By rocking the tooth around, we separate the tooth from the ligaments that are securing it in place. This will free the tooth from its roots.
Once the tooth has been loosened, forceps are used to remove it from the socket.
We will thoroughly disinfect the socket and place gauze to stop any bleeding. You will be instructed to bite down on these for 30 to 60 minutes to encourage blood clotting. Dr. O’Shea will provide you with aftercare instructions for the next week.
Contrary to popular belief, tooth extractions are painless. This is because we numb your mouth before using any invasive tools or beginning to wobble the tooth. Some patients prefer to be sedated during the process which is effective for reducing anxiety and inducing feelings of relaxation.
Patients also can’t remember the appointment afterward so this is less traumatic if you don’t like the sights and sounds involved with removing a tooth. Leaving a decayed or infected tooth in the mouth will cause a lot more pain than removing it under anesthetic. A basic extraction is even less invasive than a surgical extraction, so the process is very straightforward and doesn’t involve any cutting of the tissues.
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