Gentle and Necessary Tooth Removal
Sometimes it is necessary to extract a tooth. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Extractions are commonly performed in cases where a deciduous “baby” tooth is reluctant to fall out, a severely broken down and non-restorable tooth is present, or “wisdom tooth” is poorly positioned and unable to fully erupt into place.
To reduce any anxiety and insure patient comfort whenever a tooth extraction is necessary, the procedure, the post surgical instructions, as well as any restorative follow-up care will be carefully and completely explained.
Extractions are often needed to resolve or prevent:
Removing baby teeth that are preventing permanent teeth from erupting in the correct position.
Removing a tooth that is beyond saving with restorative treatments like a filling or pulpotomy.
Removing a tooth that has a persistent, severe infection or abscess.
Strategic removal of specific teeth to improve overall alignment (orthodontic purposes).
FAQs
No. We use gentle, effective local anesthesia to completely numb the area around the tooth being removed. Our priority is ensuring your child feels no pain, only some pressure. For anxious children, we also offer various sedation options.
If a baby tooth is removed early (before the permanent tooth is ready to erupt), it may be necessary to place a Space Maintainer to prevent the surrounding teeth from shifting. If a permanent tooth is removed, we will discuss the best long-term replacement options.
We will provide detailed post-operative instructions, which generally include keeping gauze on the site for a period, avoiding rinsing or sucking actions (like with a straw), limiting activity, and sticking to soft foods for the first day.
Most simple extractions are very fast, often taking only a few minutes once the area is fully numb. We strive to make the entire process as quick and comfortable as possible.