Extractions

Extraction is the complete removal of a primary or a permanent tooth. An extraction can be surgical or non-surgical. This depends on the difficulty of the extraction, on whether or not the tooth is impacted or erupted, and on whether it has straight or curved roots.

An extraction may be carried out at our clinic. No one looks forward to an extraction, but modern anaesthesia will help keep you comfortable throughout the procedure.

Why extract a tooth?
Nothing is better than a healthy set of teeth, and many advances in dentistry allow us to save teeth that we could not previously save, but sometimes an extraction is necessary.

Reasons for an extraction include:

• Advanced gum disease. This is the number one reason adults loose their teeth!
• An abscessed tooth that cannot be saved.
• A tooth with decay too deep to save it.
• A tooth that has broken at the gum line and cannot be saved.
• An impacted tooth (typically a “wisdom tooth”).
• An orthodontic problem. Some orthodontic cases require that one or more teeth be extracted.

After the extraction
After an extraction has been performed, it is important to put something in the place of the missing tooth or teeth. If the space is just left open, your teeth will shift and cause many unnecessary complications. An extracted tooth may be replaced by a temporary or permanent bridge, an implant, or by a partial or complete denture.