What Are the Situations When a Tooth Extraction Is Necessary?
How Tooth Extraction is Performed
There are two types of tooth removal procedures: simple and surgical.
During a simple extraction, your dentist will numb the affected tooth and surrounding gum tissue with local anesthesia. Then, they will use specialized dental instruments to loosen the tooth and remove it from its socket. This can be done using a combination of an elevator and forceps to grasp the visible portion of the tooth or using a dental key. It can take anywhere from ten minutes to thirty minutes for this process to complete. During this time, the dentist will also clean and disinfect the socket and place stitches to help promote healing.
A surgical extraction involves opening the gums to access the teeth, done when you have impacted teeth. The dentist may cut the teeth into small pieces before pulling the tooth.
The socket will bleed during and after the procedure, but it’s not painful. It’s common for this to occur, especially the first 24 hours after the extraction. Your dentist will place a gauze to slow the bleeding so that a blood clot can form. The clot will promote healing and help reduce the risk of dry sockets, which are painful and can be very difficult to heal.
What are the Situations When A Tooth Extraction Is Necessary?
Your dentist may recommend tooth extraction in New York, NY if there is significant decay or infection.
This can happen even if you brush and floss regularly and avoid foods or drinks that can stain your teeth. Decay can reach so deep that fillings or crowns aren’t enough to save a tooth.
- Impacted Teeth
Dentists often identify impacted teeth as part of their regular checkups. They will look for swollen tissue over an area where a tooth hasn’t yet erupted and take x-rays to determine the position of the impacted teeth.
Impacted teeth can cause symptoms, including mouth sensitivity and gum bleeding. However, they can also be symptomless and only detected during a routine x-ray at the dentist’s office.
Most commonly, impacted teeth are wisdom teeth. These teeth may be stuck in the jaw or unable to break through the gums. This can lead to pain and other problems with your oral health, such as tooth decay or periodontal disease.
- Infected Teeth
A tooth infection or abscess is a painful condition that can occur when bacteria enter your mouth’s pulp. This area of your tooth contains the tooth’s nerve.
A dental abscess can form in a crack, a deep cavity, or a gum infection that doesn’t respond to treatment. When this happens, your dentist must drain the pus from the area and prescribe antibiotics to stop it from spreading.
Your dentist might also need root canal therapy to remove the bacteria from your tooth’s inner pulp chamber. Then they will place a dental crown over the tooth to protect it from further damage.
When a tooth infection is left untreated, it can lead to life-threatening complications. For example, it can cause sepsis — an infection that spreads from the infected area to other body parts, including the bloodstream, heart, and brain.
- Tooth Crowding
Crowded teeth are a common orthodontic issue that can affect your self-esteem. However, the problem is not just cosmetic: it can also lead to poor oral hygiene, gum disease, dental decay, and other issues that impact your overall health.
Depending on the severity of the overcrowding, you may need a tooth extraction to make room for more permanent teeth. If this occurs, an orthodontist near you will extract the offending tooth and implant a new adult tooth.
- Tooth Damage
The bacteria eat away at the minerals in the enamel, which creates tiny holes in the tooth. These holes are called cavities and can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.
If the damage is too extensive, your pediatric dentist in Upper East Side may recommend a tooth extraction. They will take x-rays of the tooth and surrounding bone to determine the best way to remove it.
How is an extraction a Safe option?
In some cases, tooth extractions are the only way to save teeth that are damaged, decayed, or infected. This happens when a tooth has a crack that extends through the whole tooth, infections spread in the gum and root of the tooth, or it has a severe case of decay.
Schedule an Appointment
Visit Smile Up NYC for more information about dental extraction and what you can expect during and after the procedure.
