What is Teeth Extraction?

Teeth extraction is the process of removing a damaged or badly placed tooth from its socket, usually it is performed in a dentist’s office, but there may be some more complicated operations that need to be done by a specialist oral surgeon. There might also be a good number of people prepared to try an extraction for themselves at home, perhaps because they are afraid of the dentist, but this is not advisable, as it generally does more harm than good, and can lead to extensive gum trauma. The extraction itself refers to the pulling of one or more teeth to their very root, leaving no fragments or sections behind, and is done under local anaesthetic in most cases.

Why would I need one of my teeth extracted?

There are lots of reasons why you might need an extraction, some of which are affected by lifestyle choices and others that are the result of accidental damage from an injury.

Dental decay – This is the main reason why adults in the UK need to have their teeth removed – although, there are an increasing number of children requiring such treatment, perhaps as a result of bad diets and a decline in the general health of the nation’s youth. If decay takes hold and is allowed to spread unabated, it will eventually begin to break down the mineral structure of the tooth and cause it to disintegrate in its socket. Teeth that are in a bad state of decay will have to be extracted, as there is some damage that a filling or crown can’t fix.

Gum disease – Inflamed, bleeding gums are usually a sign of the later stages of gum disease, called periodontitis, accompanied by the tissue pulling away from the roots of the teeth. Bacteria begins to gather in the gaps between the gums and the roots – which are referred to as periodontal pockets, and spreads to the alveolar bone – the supporting bone that holds the teeth firmly upright. The decay and bacteria eat away at the bone and cause it to lose its structural integrity, so that it cannot support the teeth any more. At this stage, there is nothing left to do by extract the affected teeth, because they are going to fall out anyway, and this process will allow the surgeon to begin treatment for infection, and it will cause the patient less pain in the long run.

A badly damaged tooth – There are many ways in which a dentist can fix a broken or fractured tooth, but sometimes the damage is too severe and it will have to be extracted. For example, if an accident has led to a crack that goes right the way through to the tooth, it may be sitting in the socket in several pieces, or it could be extruded (twisted) to an irreparable degree, if nothing can be done to fix the damage, an extraction is necessary. Sometimes the dentist will try to avoid removing it by filling the fractures with composite bonding material, but if there is a significant risk of infection, they won’t leave the rest of the teeth vulnerable.

Crowded teeth – When performing orthodontic treatment, some dentists find that the patient has too many teeth, or extreme crowding in areas of their mouth – usually the front lower jaw, extraction is used in instances like this to make the teeth more aesthetically pleasing, and to allow for further treatment to go ahead. There may also be extra teeth present, if milk teeth have not fallen out, or erupted at a later date and caused misalignment across the jaw – this tends to happen as a result of childhood dental trauma, or can be related to genetics. Most types of braces will work better with obstructive teeth removed, so the process lends itself to a faster, smoother, more successful treatment.

Impacted wisdom teeth – There is an on-going debate about the benefits of removing impacted wisdom teeth; some people are in favour of removing the offending teeth the minute they appear to be impacted, to avoid the potential complications further down the line, whereas others maintain that the operation is too traumatic for the gums and neighbouring teeth, and should be avoided if the wisdom teeth are not proving problematic. In modern dentistry, it is more likely that your wisdom teeth will only be extracted if they are causing you pain, or they are putting the rest of the teeth at risk, otherwise they will probably be left in place and monitored as their condition progresses. Wisdom teeth are third molars that are much larger than the other two in a typical human being, they can often be troublesome because there is not always enough space on the jawbone to accommodate an extra, over-sized molar.

How will my teeth be extracted?

Depending on the extent of the problem, your teeth may be removed in one sitting, or it could take a few sessions to perform the operation fully. Most extractions take place under local anaesthetic, which is administered using a needle and syringe, but your dentist might chose to use an inhalant, such as Nitrous Oxide (‘laughing gas’), neither of which will render you unconscious. When your mouth is completely numb, the dentist will use a tool called an elevator to rock the tooth from side to side in its socket, until the supporting ligaments are broken. In some cases, if dental decay is prevalent, it might not take as much pressure as it normally would to shake the tooth loose, but you won’t feel anything pain as the elevator breaks the tooth free, only changes in pressure. This process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and then the forceps can be used to pry the root out of the socket. It may also be necessary to sew the wound closed afterwards; this depends on whether the socket is to be left empty, or whether there is some restorative treatment to come.

If you think one or more of your teeth might need to be extracted, call the Pearl Dental Clinic and arrange a consultation today; their helpful, professional team members are always available to advise on any of the dental treatments on offer.