The Two Types Of Tooth Extractions And What They Involve

Dentist Blog

Tooth extraction is one of the most common dental procedures. It's also one of the most feared dental procedures, especially for people that have never had a tooth extracted before. One way to relieve the fear of dental extractions is to understand the procedure and the processes involved.

There are two main types of tooth extraction. Normal tooth extractions are simple and don't require surgery. But in more complicated tooth extractions, surgery may be required.

A typical tooth extraction without surgery

In general, most tooth extractions are a simple matter and can be completed quite quickly. This means that you can have multiple teeth extracted in one appointment, provided the teeth don't require surgery to extract. Teeth are easy to extract when:

  • They are in one piece
  • There is plenty of tooth above the gumline
  • The roots are not twisted

If all of these conditions are met, then a dentist can perform a simple extraction. Before the extraction process begins, your dentist will use a local anesthetic to numb the gum tissue around the tooth to be extracted.

Once the local anesthetic is administered, the dentist will check that the area is sufficiently numbed by pressing on the area with a dental instrument or their fingers. A feeling of pressure is normal. But if you feel pain, the dentist will further anesthetize the area.

To remove a tooth with a simple extraction, your dentist will use a tool called an elevator or dental forceps. In both cases, the dentist must first loosen the tooth with a rocking motion, which detaches the periodontal ligament and creates an opening for the tooth to be removed easily.

A complicated tooth extraction with surgery

Surgical tooth extractions are necessary when a tooth is:

  • Impacted or beneath the gum tissue
  • Badly decayed above the gum line
  • Broken into several pieces

Surgical tooth extractions differ from simple tooth extractions mainly because they involve an incision into the gum tissue. Dentists may also need to surgically remove some bone covering a tooth, especially if a tooth is impacted, which is common with wisdom teeth.

Like with simple tooth extractions, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to ensure the procedure is pain-free. They may then break the tooth into several pieces for easy removal, or use an elevator or dental forceps to remove the tooth.

Surgical tooth extractions usually require the dentist to stitch up the extraction site after surgery. Contact a local dentist today to have your teeth inspected.

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14 October 2022

Dentistry for the Whole Family

Do you have a different doctor from your spouse? Does your child see a pediatrician? Most families have different medical health providers for different members of the family. This makes sense in most cases, but did you know that you can find a dentist who will treat every person in the family from a baby to a senior? I'm a manager or a family dentist, and in this blog you will learn why a family dentist is a great idea. I will tell you the many advantages of taking every family member to the same dentist, and I will give you tips of finding the right dental office for your family.