Extractions

An extraction means removing a tooth. We do them, but only after we’ve looked hard at whether the tooth can be kept.

Why it’s our last choice

A natural tooth holds the bone around it and keeps the teeth beside it from shifting. Once it’s gone, that space has to be dealt with somehow, now or later. So before we recommend removal, we check whether a filling, crown, root canal, or gum treatment could save it.

Sometimes none of those will work. A tooth may be cracked below the gumline, decayed too deep to rebuild, or so loose from gum disease that it can’t be stabilized. Wisdom teeth that are stuck or causing infections are another common reason. In those cases, keeping the tooth can do more harm than good.

Take a back molar that cracked straight down the middle under an old filling. If the split runs into the root, no crown will hold it together. Removing it ends the pain and protects the bone around it.

Numbing, removal, and healing

We numb the area well before we start. You’ll feel pressure but shouldn’t feel sharp pain. Most simple extractions take less than an hour, and we’ll tell you ahead of time if yours looks more involved.

A blood clot forms in the socket, and protecting it is most of the aftercare. For the first few days, skip straws, smoking, and hard spitting, since they can pull the clot loose. Some swelling and soreness is normal.

Once you’ve healed, we’ll talk about whether to replace the tooth with an implant, bridge, or partial.