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Basic Tooth Extractions
7 - Most common reasons
- Tooth Damage or Decay: If a tooth is seriously decayed, damaged beyond repair, or fractured in a way that cannot be fixed through dental treatments like fillings, crowns, or root canals, the tooth might need to be removed.
- Impacted Teeth: Teeth can sometimes get stuck and not fully come out of the gums due to limited space or incorrect alignment. This commonly happens with wisdom teeth. Impacted teeth can cause pain, infections, or harm neighboring teeth, so extraction might be suggested.
- Orthodontic Treatment: If there isn’t enough space in the mouth for proper teeth alignment, some teeth might need to be taken out to create room for orthodontic treatments like braces.
- Infections or Abscesses: Severe tooth infections or abscesses that can’t be effectively treated with antibiotics or root canals may require extraction to stop the infection from spreading.
- Gum Disease: Advanced gum disease can lead to teeth becoming loose due to loss of bone and attachment. In certain cases, extraction is needed to get rid of the source of infection and prevent further damage.
- Preventive Measures: For individuals with weakened immune systems undergoing procedures like organ transplants or cancer treatment, extracting teeth preventively might be advised to lower the risk of infections.
- Preparation for Dentures: When someone is getting partial or full dentures, some remaining teeth might need to be removed to ensure the dentures fit properly and work well.
Steps of tooth removal:
- Local anesthesia (LA): A local anesthesia is first administered to numb the tooth and surrounding area.
- Confirmation: A confirmation is sought from the patient, regarding the numbing effect of the anesthesia in the desired region.
- Removal: The tooth/teeth of concern are surgically removed using the appropriate dental instruments
- Cover the socket: the extraction site is adequately covered with gauze, or the overlying gum tissue of the extraction sutured based on the condition of the site.
- Medications: Medications are prescribed which the patient is advised to intake as per the scheduled regimen to avoid unfavorable complications
- Review: Patient is called for review or removal of sutures if placed
