Extractions

If a tooth has been badly damaged due to breakage, decay, infection or gum disease, it may need to be extracted. The area is thoroughly numbed and the tooth is removed either whole or in parts. Sutures are sometimes placed to help the area heal more quickly.

Simple Extractions

Often, if a tooth has a single root that is not curved and the bone around it is not too dense it can usually be extracted all in one piece. This is called a simple extraction. The gums are loosened from around the tooth, and special instruments are used to put some pressure on the space between the root and bone. With some patience, the root loosens and can be removed with forceps.
Some gauze is placed over the socket to stop bleeding and mother nature takes it from there. The gums heal over in a few weeks and the bone inside heals over the next few months.

Surgical Extractions

When a tooth has multiple roots, curved roots, is broken off under the gum line,
or has dense bone it may need to be extracted surgically. This just means it won’t slide out easily or in one piece. You might say “It’s hard to take a square peg out of a round hole”. Usually the gums are opened up and a special drill is used to section the tooth into several pieces or small troughs are prepared in the bone that will allow the tooth to be removed safely. The area is often sutured closed to allow for proper healing.

Extractions for Dentures

Often we remove a whole arch of badly damaged teeth at one time to make
room for a new denture. Once the teeth are removed, we trim and smooth all of the rough and uneven edges around the extraction sockets and carefully suture the area closed. It takes time but creates the correct shape in the arch for the proper fit and comfort of the new denture. This is also called “Pre-Prosthetic Surgery.”

Blood Thinners and Tooth Extractions

If you are taking a blood thinner, we may be able to extract your tooth without stopping your medication. If your blood is dept moderately thin we can use local measures such as hemostatic foam and sutures to help bleeding stop. If your blood is typically kept very thin, we may ask your prescribing physician to stop your blood thinner for a few days so the tooth can be safely extracted.