Tooth Extractions

Reasons for Extraction

A tooth may need to be extracted for several reasons including decay, gum disease, trauma, infection, or dental crowding. Sometimes teeth are removed prior to orthodontic treatment to decrease crowding and allow room for proper alignment.

What to Expect with your Procedure

Your oral surgeon will determine the best anesthetic for your extraction. The procedure can be performed with only local anesthesia to numb the area where the tooth will be removed, or it can be performed under nitrous oxide or IV sedation to optimize your comfort and overall experience. Our office staff has the training and experience to provide a full complement of anesthesia options.
Extraction of a tooth involves using a variety of surgical instruments to gently loosen the tooth from the surrounding jawbone and dental ligaments and remove it. Sometimes this may require small surgical incisions to better expose the tooth and may at times require sectioning of the tooth into smaller pieces with the aid of a special dental drill.

Once the tooth is removed, your surgeon will determine what additional steps are required to aid with healing. Your surgeon may place self-dissolving stitches to hold the gum closed over the extraction site. If you plan to replace the tooth with a dental implant your surgeon may do a bone grafting procedure to preserve the tooth socket and maintain the jawbone in that area.