Our Treatments & Services

Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction is one of the most dreaded dental procedures even though it is done under anesthetic and entirely painless (aside from the application of the anesthetic itself).

There are many reasons why a tooth extraction may be necessary. Sometimes, the tooth is damaged beyond repair with extensive decay causing constant excruciating pain. If a tooth is positioned wrongly, such as a wisdom tooth growing horizontal (called an impacted tooth) it causes frequent pain and disrupts the positioning of all the other teeth. Another circumstance is when planning for orthodontics, tooth extraction may be necessary to ensure that there is enough room to manuever the teeth to ensure that they are aligned.

There are two types of tooth extractions:

Simple Extractions: These are performed on teeth that are visible in the mouth. General dentists commonly do simple extractions, and most are usually done under a local anesthetic.

Surgical Extractions: These involve teeth that cannot easily be seen or reached in the mouth, either because they have broken off at the gum line or they have not fully erupted. Performed by dentists or oral surgeons, surgical extractions require some type of surgical procedure, such as bone removal, removing and/or lifting and folding back all or part of the gum tissue to expose the tooth, or breaking the tooth into pieces (called tooth sectioning). Surgical extractions can be done with local anesthesia and/or conscious sedation. Patients with special medical conditions and young children may receive general anesthesia.