Sometimes teeth need to be removed due to decay, disease or trauma. Having a tooth removed or “pulled” is called an extraction.
An extraction is performed with anesthesia, which numbs any pain so you will feel only pressure.
Before an extraction occurs, a thorough examination of your teeth will be performed. This is done to allow your dentist to evaluate the position of the teeth and determine if future problems may occur. X-rays can view additional risk factors such as decay or deterioration. Early examinations are recommended to identify problems that can arise in the future.
After a tooth is extracted, other teeth will slowly shift into the empty space. The movement is very slow and can take a year or more to notice. Upper teeth will erupt downwards to fill the gap and teeth on either side may lean inwards to take up the space.
A dental implant is generally recommended as the best option to replace a missing tooth. Usually, a dentist will wait four months for the bone to fill in before placing a dental implant. We also recommend a bone graft at the time of the extraction, to facilitate future implant placement, this procedure is known as “socket preservation” which is basically, preserve the existing bone level after the extraction
There are situations when teeth are severely fractured or decayed, in those cases a surgical approach is needed to extract the tooth.
