There are times when it is necessary to remove a tooth. The most common reasons being: impacted or poorly positioned wisdom teeth, cracked broken down teeth that cannot be restored, severely decayed teeth, advanced periodontal disease, retained baby teeth with long roots that prevent it from falling out, for orthodontic purposes to alleviate fullness or severe crowding.
Your tooth, surrounding jaw bones and gums will be numbed with local anaesthetic. Since the anaesthetic has numbed the nerves involved, there will be no pain but a pressure sensation can be felt. The root of each tooth is encased within your jawbone in a "tooth socket", and your tooth is held in that socket by a ligament. In order to extract a tooth, the socket must be expanded and then the tooth is separated from the ligament holding it in place. If the tooth is impacted, meaning it may still be under the gums and embedded in your jaw bone, a portion of the covering bone may need to be removed as well as sectioning of your wisdom tooth to facilitate its removal through the small opening in the bone. It is important to share with your doctor any concerns or preferences for sedation in which case we will refer you to an oral surgeon. Depending on the degree of difficulty related to the extraction, healing time varies. Generally, the younger and healthier you are, the faster to you will heal with minimal complications. Detailed post-operative instructions will be given along with prescriptions for medication to control any possible infection, pain or swelling.Once a tooth has been removed, neighboring teeth may shift, causing problems with chewing or with your jaw joint function. To avoid these complications, it is recommended that you replace the extracted tooth with a space maintainer, implant, bridge or partial denture.
Wisdom teeth are the third molars found in the very back of your mouth. These teeth usually appear in late teens or early twenties, but they may become impacted (fail to erupt) due to lack of room in the jaw or their angulation. When a wisdom tooth is impacted, it may need to be removed. If it is not removed, you may develop gum tenderness, swelling, or even severe pain. Impacted wisdom teeth that are partially or fully erupted tend to be quite difficult to clean and are susceptible to tooth decay, recurring infections, and even gum disease. It is recommended these wisdom teeth be removed in a patient's youth because there is a greater chance that the teeth's roots have not fully formed and the bone surrounding the teeth is less dense. These two factors can make extraction easier as well as shorten the recovery time.
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