Tooth Extraction

A tooth extraction removes a tooth from its socket in the jawbone. It is a minor surgical procedure, and it is the option considered last: the aim of most dental treatment is to keep a tooth, and extraction follows when keeping it is no longer possible or no longer serves the mouth as a whole.

When a tooth is extracted

The decision is made on examination and on imaging. The usual reasons are these.

• Decay that has reached the pulp and left too little sound structure to restore.
• A tooth broken beyond repair in an accident, or with a fractured root.
• A dead or infected tooth, or severe infection of the gum and bone around it.
• A tooth in a position that causes trouble: impacted, crowded out, or serving no function.
• Making room as part of orthodontic treatment.
• A baby tooth that has not come out in time and is blocking the permanent tooth behind it.

How the treatment works

The area is numbed with a local anesthetic. The tooth is loosened within its socket and lifted out; one that is broken down or lying at an angle may be taken out in sections, and the site closed with sutures. What you feel during the procedure is pressure rather than pain. Where the tooth will be missed for chewing or for appearance, its replacement is discussed beforehand, since an implant or a bridge is planned around the socket while it heals.

After an extraction

A blood clot forms in the socket, and it is what allows the site to heal, so the first day is about leaving it undisturbed: bite on the gauze pad, keep to soft, cool food, rinse gently rather than forcefully, and stay away from straws and from smoking. Swelling and tenderness settle over the days that follow. A surgical removal, a wisdom tooth in particular, calls for a fuller set of instructions, and the clinic provides those in writing after the procedure.