At some point in your life, you may have to have a tooth removed. If you are having tooth pain now, you may be concerned that a tooth extraction is somewhere in your future. A tooth extraction is a very common dental procedure, with thousands being performed each and every day.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and concerns that people may have when dealing with a tooth extraction, that may help to address some of the issues you are worried about.
What is a tooth extraction?
A tooth extraction is a procedure that completely removes your tooth from it’s socket in your jawbone.
What are reasons why I may need a tooth extraction?
There are a number of reasons why you may need a tooth extraction. In some cases, if your tooth is damaged or broken, it may be able to be repaired by your dentist with procedures such as crowns, root canals and fillings. In other cases however, the damage may be beyond repair and a tooth extraction will be required.
There are also other reasons why a person may need to get a tooth extraction. If your teeth are coming in improperly, you may need an extraction to make room in the mouth for your teeth. People that get braces to straighten severely crooked teeth may need an extraction to make room for teeth that will be shifted into the correct place by their braces. Some medical treatments, such as cancer treatments or people that will be receiving organ transplants, may also require extractions of teeth that are damaged. Finally, a very common tooth extraction procedure is the removal of wisdom teeth, which commonly become impacted.
How is a tooth extraction performed?
There are two common procedures for removing teeth. With a simple extraction, the tooth is able to be pulled using dental forceps. Generally, a local anesthetic is used to numb the area, and the dentist will use the forceps to loosen and pull the tooth. In other cases, a surgical extraction may be required. For a surgical extraction, the tooth needs to be surgically cut out of the mouth by way of an incision. The tooth may need to be cut into pieces to be removed. For most surgical extractions, you will not only be given local anesthesia, but may be sedated as well.