When does a tooth need to come out?
When keeping it would cause more trouble than removing it. That includes a tooth broken below the gumline or too decayed to rebuild, one loosened by advanced gum disease, an infection that root canal therapy can’t resolve, or crowding where room has to be made. Wisdom teeth are the familiar example: they often arrive without enough space, partly through the gum or tilted, where they trap food and bacteria against the molar in front.
Before we recommend an extraction, we’ll show you the X-ray and explain why the tooth can’t reasonably be kept. If it’s a tooth you’ll want replaced, we talk about that first, since the plan for a bridge or an implant-supported tooth can shape the timing.
How do we prepare you for an extraction?
With a review of your health and clear instructions. We go over your medical history and medications, since blood thinners, some bone medications and certain heart conditions change how an extraction is planned. The area is thoroughly numbed before anything begins. If your treatment involves general anesthesia, there are specific rules about eating, drinking and getting home, set out on our before-anesthesia page.
The online oral surgery form on our registration forms page lets you give us your history ahead of time. Afterward, follow the after-extraction instructions, and call the office if bleeding, swelling or pain isn’t easing the way they describe.