Tooth Extractions
If you have a tooth that’s been broken or damaged by decay we’ll try our best to fix it with a filling, crown or other treatment, but sometimes a tooth is too damaged to be repaired – it needs to be extracted.
Common Reasons for Tooth Extraction
- Crowding
Baby teeth blocking other teeth from coming in as they should. - Damage and decay
A tooth can no longer be repaired with a filling, crown or other treatment. - Preparation for braces
Your orthodontist recommends removing teeth to make room for others before getting braces. - Wisdom teeth
A very common extraction either before or after the teeth come in during your late teens or early twenties. By taking regular x-rays we can determine if your wisdom teeth will need to be removed before they even start coming in. Often the teeth do not come in at all – they remain impacted in the jaw which can cause pain, swelling or headaches.
Tooth Extraction Methods
When a tooth is visible, we can perform a simple extraction with a local anesthetic, like Xylocaine. Surgical extraction is needed if a tooth is impacted, fractured below the bone or has a split root.
With wisdom teeth, a surgical extraction is the most common method of removal. A surgical extraction is performed by an oral surgeon and at Lee Dental, we work with some of the best in the area. During a surgical extraction you may receive intravenous anesthesia, so you will need someone to drive you home. Following a surgical extraction your oral surgeon may prescribe a pain medicine for a few days to help manage post-operative pain. Typically, the pain and discomfort lasts only a few days so you don’t have to worry about missing school or work.