When a tooth cannot be saved, it becomes necessary to take the tooth out to help avoid possible infection, and to make room in the mouth to replace the tooth.
When a tooth is extracted, the area is numbed with local anesthesia as it would be for other procedures such as a crown or a filling. Once you are numb, we use special instruments to carefully remove the tooth and any remaining roots. In order to minimize bleeding and to maximize your comfort, we may decide to place a suture (stitch); and if we do place a sutute, we normally place one that will dissolved by itself so you don’t have to come back to have stitches removed
Yes and no. We do offer sedation for our patients who prefer it, and for our patients who are anxious about treatment. There are a number of types of sedation – including Nitrous Oxide and IV Sedation. Each patients needs are different, and if you are interested in sedation, we will discuss it with you prior to your treatment. You can read about sedation to learn more
We will perform surgical extractions when indicated, and we will treat many third-molar extractions.
Once a tooth is extracted it’s often best to replace the tooth in order to give you back good chewing ability and of course, esthetics. There are a number of tooth-replacement options available, and we will discuss these choices with you depending upon which are appropriate for your specific treatment plan. Some of these options include:
It depends. There are many dentists and surgeons who recommend that a bone graft be placed every time a tooth is extracted. The reason is that preserving bone after an extraction can give patients more options in the future — as more bone can help with the success of dental implant placement and with the ability to keep a denture stable in your mouth. A bone graft is not required, and depending upon our treatment plan, we will review whether or not a bone graft will of benefit to you.
