Get Relief With a Painless Tooth Extraction
Painless removal of a tooth too damaged, decayed, infected, or crowded to remain in the mouth.
Painless removal of a tooth too damaged, decayed, infected, or crowded to remain in the mouth.
This video shows you how a tooth is removed with minimal instrumentation and without surgery.
Sometimes a tooth is too damaged to function properly or too decayed to remain in the mouth. Several other factors can also require tooth removal. While the thought of such a procedure can cause many patients distress, your dentist or oral surgeon can perform a painless tooth extraction with the latest dental technology and present you with treatment options to permanently replace the extracted tooth.
In a tooth extraction, your dentist removes a tooth and its root from the mouth. The tooth removal process can be accomplished in a single dental appointment, aided by numbing anesthetic.
Patients typically recover within a few days, and the space created by the pulled tooth can be filled with a dental implant, a bridge, or a denture.
Although permanent teeth were meant to last a lifetime, there are a number of reasons why tooth extraction may be needed. Along with a badly decayed or damaged tooth, other reasons include:
Most extractions are uncomplicated. Typically, your general dentist will review your x-rays to ensure the right tooth, root, socket, and bone conditions are present for a simple extraction. If the tooth is impacted, your dentist must cut open gum tissue to access the tooth. Sometimes, a hard-to-pull tooth must be removed in pieces.
A local anesthetic will be used to numb the area. Your dentist will apply slight pressure with a specially designed instrument to gently and gradually ease the tooth from its socket.
Once the tooth has been removed, a blood clot usually forms in the socket. Your dentist will pack a gauze pad into the socket and have you bite down on it to help stop any bleeding. If required, your dentist will place a few stitches — usually self-dissolving — to close the gums over the extraction site.
Occasionally, the blood clot in the socket breaks loose, exposing the bone in the socket. This is a painful condition called dry sockets. If this happens, your dentist will likely place a sedative dressing over the socket for a few days to protect it, as a new clot may form.
The healing process after a tooth extraction is usually straightforward, but it’s important that you follow your dentist’s instructions about caring for the area to avoid pain, swelling, and infection and to prevent dry sockets. In addition, the following can help minimize discomfort and speed recovery:
Recovery typically takes a few days, but wisdom teeth and more complex extractions may take up to a couple of weeks.
When your dentist has determined that the extraction site has sufficiently healed, they can proceed with your preferred treatment option for replacing the missing tooth.
It’s never a good idea to delay a necessary tooth extraction. If you have a badly damaged or decayed tooth, an infected tooth, or a loose tooth, contact us today to book an assessment. You may not require a tooth extraction, but if your dentist recommends one, we can get you quickly — and painlessly — back on the path to optimal oral health.