Tooth Extractions Scottsdale, AZ

While most of us never plan to lose teeth in adulthood, dental extractions are a commonplace treatment in restorative dentistry. If you have untreated tooth decay, a dental infection, or suffer a dental injury, you may have to decide to extract one or more of your teeth. Of course, this is outside of the more frequent, routine extractions that occur before orthodontic work or to remedy an overcrowded smile or to remove wisdom teeth.

Common Causes for Tooth Extractions

Beyond the normalized need to remove teeth, such as wisdom teeth removal and in advance of orthodontic care, there are other reasons that your dentist may recommend a dental extraction.

Excessive tooth decay, tooth infection, and overcrowding can all necessitate tooth extraction. Additionally, transplant and cancer patients may need individual vulnerable teeth removed to prevent potential disease during treatment and recovery. Compromised immune systems pose a significant risk to patients with tooth decay or oral bacterial infections that spread quickly when undetected and untreated.

Tooth Extraction Procedure

Tooth extraction is performed by either a dentist or an oral surgeon. We perform tooth extractions in our Scottsdale, AZ, office with the assistance of anesthesia and sedation dentistry when requested and appropriate. Removing teeth that are visible to the dentist is relatively straightforward. When teeth are broken below the surface or are impacted below the gum line, the extraction can be more complicated.

Your tooth extraction will either be simple or surgical, depending on where your tooth is situated at the time of the procedure.

Simple extraction: this is performed with a local anesthetic, which numbs the area around your tooth but doesn’t sedate you. The dentist will use a unique tool to lift and remove your tooth.

Surgical extraction: you will likely receive both local anesthesia and intravenous anesthesia, which may require careful planning regarding diet and limit your ability to drive home. The dentist will cut into your gum and the bone underneath to remove the tooth for surgical extractions.

What Are the Risks Of a Tooth Extraction?

There are a few risks for undergoing a tooth extraction; however, your dentist can manage these by following post-procedure recommendations. Following an extraction, a blood clot should form in the tooth socket. However, if the clot dislodges, it can lead to exposure of the jawbone in what is known as a “dry socket.” This can be a painful side effect, but we can treat it with a sedative dressing until a new clot forms.

Other risks following a tooth extraction include bleeding, infection, cough, nausea, chest pain or shortness of breath, swelling, and gum redness. A dentist can help you manage these symptoms with over-the-counter medications or any prescribed pain relief, as well as ice compresses.