What is an Extraction?

If you overhear the dentist talking about an ‘extraction,’ there’s nothing to fear; they’re just talking about a standard tooth removal.  Sometimes teeth get broken, or there isn’t room for them to come in, or they just haven’t been taken very good care of, and it becomes necessary to take them out because they’re rotten.  Extraction may sound like a big scary word, but it’s just the words the dentists use when talking about taking a tooth out, and it only happens if something has gone wrong.

Why Are Teeth Removed?
We mentioned a few reasons above, but they can include a case where decay has gotten into the tooth deep enough that it’s no longer practical to repair the tooth, and it’s time to take it out.  In severe infections, such as an abscess that’s been there a long time, tooth and bone may have gotten destroyed and the only thing left for it is to take the tooth out before it does more damage.  In some cases, especially where Wisdom Teeth are involved, there may simply not be enough room in the mouth for all your teeth, and these extra teeth are causing damage and pain by trying to push their way in.

How Does An Extraction, A Tooth Removal, Work?
Your dentist will start by doing an x-ray so he can clearly see what’s going on with your teeth inside your mouth and gums.  From these x-rays, also called films, they’ll learn what the shape, length, and position of your teeth and any surrounding bone are so they can do their job well. Sometimes this reveals that your tooth is so damaged that they need to send you to a specialist known as an oral surgeon.  If you’re afraid that having your tooth taken out will hurt, you don’t need to be afraid! The dentist will administer pain-killing medicine known as an anesthetic before trying to pull it out. This is when the dentist will pull out a tool known as an elevator to lift, or elevate, your tooth out of its socket and will then use a pair of grippers, known as dental forceps, to take the tooth out and stop the pain it’s causing!

Extractions are a fairly common thing that dentists have to do, and that means that they get a lot of practice!  With all that practice they’ve become experts at taking out teeth that have gone bad or have been broken without causing the patient, that’s you, any pain.  If you think you need an extraction or your dentist has talked about you needing one, then you now know all you need to know about what’s going to happen!

If you don’t have a dentist, or you just haven’t seen one in a while, then it’s time to visit Smiling Kids  Pediatric Dentistry in Noblesville, IN. Led by Dr. Sam Bullard, these experts have been helping people like you get relief from dental pain by performing extractions and other procedures with a gentle hand.  Don’t let another day go by with your teeth causing you pain, call for a consultation today!