When You Need a Tooth Extraction
Dentists in the Richmond Hill Dentists network, have pride in taking care of your oral health issues. Tooth extraction is a dental procedure that is occasionally needed, though most people don’t always understand why it is important. In the extraction process, the tooth is removed from its socket in the bone for a variety of health reasons. Richmond Hill Dentists have the main goal of preserving your natural teeth and keeping them healthy as long as possible. However, there are times when it is in your or your children’s best interest to have the tooth removed or extracted.
Tooth extraction can result from a variety of reasons. These could be you have broken, or severely damaged teeth, impacted wisdom tooth causing toothache and swelling. Maybe your teenager needs to undergo orthodontic treatment but has too crowded of teeth. Or your younger kid has a baby tooth stubbornly adhering below the other tooth. Tooth extraction is what helps deal with such issues. However, tooth extraction is not the solution in every case. In mild cases, dentists may opt for fillings, crowns, and other dental treatments to save the natural teeth.
Richmond Hill Dentists are staffed with teams of highly skilled and experienced professionals for the tooth extraction procedure. The dentists will thoroughly check your teeth, gums, and mouth before extracting the tooth. They will try to preserve your natural teeth, but if tooth extraction cannot be avoided, they ensure that the procedure is as painless as possible. The area is numbed before extracting the tooth so that you do not feel any pain. For all dentists in our network, patient comfort is our first concern.
Here are some more reasons a person might need tooth extraction treatment.
Reasons for Tooth Extraction:
Overcrowding
Overcrowding is a condition in which teeth overgrow and do not leave enough space for others to grow. In this case, the overcrowded teeth are pulled to create some space for the other teeth to grow in proper alignment. During the orthodontic procedure, one or more than one tooth may get removed to make room for all the other teeth to grow into their appropriate places.
Damaged and decayed tooth
One of the most common reasons for getting a tooth extraction is having damaged and / or decayed teeth. In some cases, the tooth is damaged to such an extent that dentists cannot treat or replace it, so the only option left is to go for tooth extraction. All our skilled professional dental partners then must extract your decayed and damaged tooth.
Replacement needed
In cases where you have a chipped or crooked tooth that cannot be treated or replaced, the only way to get the issue fixed is to get it extracted. And our dentists are here to help! Our network of experienced oral surgeons are trained to extract damaged teeth in the best possible way.
Periodontal disease
Periodontal disease is the infection of the gums, alveolar bone, periodontal ligaments, and other tooth structures. It is caused by poor dental hygiene, where bacteria has built up leading to cavities and, if left untreated, can cause periodontal disease. Brushing your teeth twice a day and paying a regular visit to your dentist can help prevent periodontal disease.
At Richmond Hill Dentists, our partners offer periodontal treatments to help restore the health of your gums and other supporting tooth structures. However, in some instances, periodontal disease may result in loosening of the tooth. When this happens, tooth extraction is the last resort.
Wisdom Teeth
Wisdom teeth generally appear from age 15 to 24 and can be yet another reason for tooth extraction. Some people may get up to 4 wisdom teeth and in some cases, they might end up overcrowding the other teeth. So, in this situation, the wisdom tooth needs to be removed. If you also have crooked wisdom teeth, then make sure to get it removed as soon as possible.
Trauma
Accidents are the number one reason to cause trauma to teeth. Whether you have a car collision, hit by a stray baseball coming your way at record speed, or you fell off the stairs and landed on your mouth, accidents can wreak havoc on the teeth. For Richmond Hill Dentists, the first option is to always preserve the teeth. However, some accidents cause a tooth to become too damaged to be preserved. When this happens, tooth extraction is done as a part of the recovery process. Otherwise, the damaged tooth can become severely infected.
Preparation for Tooth Extraction
Before tooth extraction, a dentist will thoroughly review your medical and dental history, then take X-rays. This reveals the length, shape, and position of the tooth and surrounding bone. This allows the dentist to anticipate any possible complications. Typically, two types of tooth extractions are offered.
Simple extraction
Simple extractions are used for removing crooked and uneven teeth. This is the most basic and common procedure for tooth extraction. In this case, the tooth is generally extracted just by dental forceps in a dental clinic.
Surgical extraction
Surgical extractions need to be performed when the crooked tooth is not accessible in the mouth. In this case, the patient is likely to receive both local anesthesia as well as intravenous anesthesia. In this procedure, the oral surgeon will cut into your gum with a small incision. There might be a need to remove bone around your tooth or cut your tooth before it can be extracted.
After Tooth Extraction
Immediately after the procedure, the dentist covers the socket with sterile gauze and asks you to bite down gently. This should be kept in place for up to 30 minutes to limit bleeding. Small sutures might also be used for this purpose. You can expect a certain amount of pain and discomfort following the procedure. In some cases, we prescribe a pain killer.
After the procedure, you need to remember a few things: Don’t rinse the mouth vigorously, clean the teeth next to the extraction, preform strenuous activities, or drink hot liquids. Under normal circumstances, discomfort eases within three to six days. However, if you experience prolonged pain, swelling, or bleeding, call us immediately.
Tooth Extraction should be considered as a last dental solution. Consult these Dentists in Richmond Hill to help understand why and when there is a need for a tooth extraction. Schedule your appointment with us right away.