Dental extraction is one of the dental procedures that patients dread hearing about. The thought of someone pulling out and removing one of your teeth can be unbearable, and rightly so. Perhaps knowing more about the procedure, itself, its indications, and how to prepare for it can make it a little easier to tolerate for those seeking dental extraction.
When Is Tooth Extraction Necessary?
At SmilEra Dental Studio, Ottawa, ON, our priority is to preserve your teeth. There’s nothing better than keeping your natural teeth, even if they must undergo some repairs. Sadly, that’s not always possible. At some point, a tooth suffering from too much decay or a very serious infection won’t respond to repairs and needs to be removed. People getting braces might also need to remove one or two teeth. In this case, the teeth are removed to make room for the rest to prevent overcrowding. Those about to receive chemotherapy will also be required to remove any teeth that can pose a serious threat of systemic infection.
Preparing for Tooth Extraction
As a patient, there’s not much you can do to prepare for the procedure. Just follow your dentist’s instructions and inform them if you have any medical conditions or are taking any kind of medication. We recommend you try not to smoke before the procedure. Let us know if you have a cold because that might require that we delay the procedure. If we expect the extraction to take longer than usual, we might recommend that you receive an antibiotic beforehand.
Tooth Extraction Procedures
Simple extractions are the norm. Local anesthesia is applied around the tooth, so you don’t feel any pain, then the tooth is extracted. You’ll feel pressure as the dentist applies an instrument to loosen the tooth then pulls it out. Complicated cases involving impacted teeth, for example, need a surgical extraction. In a surgical extraction, you might be given IV anesthesia to make you more relaxed. An incision is made in your gum to expose the impacted tooth and bones, and then it’s removed usually with the help of a few maneuvers.