There are various reasons why a tooth may need to be extracted. Whether it’s due to tooth decay, wisdom teeth coming in, or you need more room in your mouth, tooth extraction is a fairly quick and common dental procedure. If you think you might need to have a tooth extracted, contact Friends and Family Dental today.
While it’s never something that’s looked forward to, tooth extraction is a fairly quick and common dental procedure with minor, if any, complications afterwards. The specific procedure and recovery time vary from patient to patient, but at Friends and Family Dental, your comfort is always top of mind for us. We strive to provide the best tooth extraction services to our patients in the Phoenix area.
Reasons for Tooth Extraction
Although our goal is to keep your teeth intact and healthy, sometimes it’s necessary to remove a tooth. Whether it has severe decay, is at risk of future infection, or you simply don’t have enough room in your mouth for all of your teeth, there are various reasons why a tooth extraction may be necessary. Below are the most common reasons our patients need a tooth removed.
Infection
If an infection spreads down to the pulp of the tooth, the area that contains the nerves and blood vessels, a tooth extraction is one of the solutions available. Sometimes a root canal can fix this kind of infection, but if it’s severe enough that antibiotics aren’t effective and a root canal won’t completely resolve the issue, extraction may be required to ensure the infection doesn’t spread to other teeth.
Risk of infection
Some kinds of treatment, like chemotherapy or an organ transplant, might put specific teeth at a heightened risk of being infected. Since these kinds of treatments lower the immune system’s effectiveness, the heightened risk of a tooth infection is a factor we take into consideration when evaluating your dental health. Pulling these teeth as a preventative measure may be enough reason to extract the tooth.
A crowded mouth
Crowded teeth can twist, overlap, and bunch up, causing a myriad of issues stemming from not having enough room to work properly. Not resolving a crowded mouth can result in damaged or lost teeth, jaw issues, and even gum disease in severe cases. Whether you need teeth pulled in preparation for braces, or your mouth is crowded enough where it inhibits proper function, tooth extraction could be the solution.
Wisdom teeth
Removing wisdom teeth is one of the most common tooth extraction procedures. Removing wisdom teeth can help prevent your mouth from getting too crowded and ensure your bite and teeth alignment don’t shift in the process of growing these new teeth. Wisdom teeth removal usually requires a surgical procedure.
Procedure and Recovery Time
Having a tooth removed is a very common dental procedure that has easy followup care and rarely develops any severe issues afterwards. There are two types of tooth extractions, simple and surgical, which mainly differ based on how much of the tooth is visible. With both of these types of extraction, a local anesthesia will be applied to ensure as much patient comfort as possible. With proper post-procedure care, most patients heal within 7-10 days of having a tooth extracted, varying on their specific case.
Simple tooth extractions generally occur when a tooth is decayed and needs to be removed, or room needs to be created for braces. In these cases, the tooth is fully showing, allowing an easier extraction process with local anesthesia applied around the area. In most cases, over-the-counter pain medication is sufficient for post-care pain management with this kind of tooth removal.
Surgical tooth extractions are required when the tooth isn’t fully visible in the mouth, or if part of the tooth has broken off, making it more complex to reach. With this procedure, a general anesthesia will typically be administered as well as pain medication for post-procedure care. Wisdom teeth removal typically falls under this type of tooth extraction.
The most common issue with tooth extraction is developing dry sockets, which only happens in 3-4% of tooth extraction cases. Dry sockets develop if a blood clot fails to form in the hole after a tooth is removed, or if a blood clot breaks off too soon, leaving the underlying bone and nerves exposed. By following Dr. Lee’s recommended oral care regimen specific to your case, you can help prevent any complications after your tooth extraction.
Professional Tooth Extraction Services in Phoenix
With nearly three decades of experience in dentistry, Friends and Family Dental is a choice you can feel confident about. Whether you simply need a routine cleaning, or something more intensive like periodontal therapy, we have the skills and confidence to ensure your smile is in good hands. If you need a tooth extracted, contact us today.