When Do You Need A Tooth Extraction?

Dr. Lawrence Falender and Staff of Indianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center make it their number one priority to care for their Indianapolis, IN patients using the latest technology and oral health initiatives. That includes keeping your mouth free of disease and preserving your original teeth. However, there may be a time when you or your child will need to have a tooth removed, perhaps due to tooth overcrowding, damage, a stubborn baby tooth, or future orthodontic treatment.

When this occurs, you can count on our trusted Indianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center to provide high-quality, professional service that will efficiently and expertly remove your tooth.

About Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction is usually a routine, minor procedure. Its difficulty is based on the location of the tooth that is being removed. For instance, a tooth in the front of the mouth that has a single straight root is easier to remove than a molar in the back that has several roots. Meanwhile an impacted wisdom tooth that is below the surface of the gum is most difficult to remove.

You may not realize it, but your teeth are actually only attached to your jaw bone with fibers that can be carefully loosened to free the tooth. So, regardless of the level of difficulty, tooth extraction is a common occurrence that your Indianapolis Oral Surgeon can easily help you with.

When Do You Need A Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extractions happen for a variety of reasons. If your Oral Surgeon determines an extraction is your best treatment option, he will be sure to discuss the details and fully explain why you need the procedure. These reasons may include:

Damaged Tooth

Teeth can be irreparably damaged in a number of ways. You may have suffered an injury or accident to the mouth affecting the teeth. Or you may have serious or repeating tooth decay. Your dentists will always try to repair and save your existing tooth by using treatment methods such as a root canal or dental crown. However, in some cases it might be best to extract the tooth and replace it with a solid dental implant, which can look and function like your original tooth.

Impacted Wisdom Tooth

At Indianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, your Oral Surgeon monitor patients’ teeth from their first visit through adulthood. Through routine exams, we can keep an eye on your wisdom teeth to ensure that they are moving into your mouth as they should. Wisdom teeth (also known as your “third molars”) emerge in the late teens or early twenties at the back of the mouth, but often don’t have enough space to erupt fully or even at all. When this happens, wisdom teeth become impacted, or don’t push through the gums properly. This can damage your healthy teeth, gums, jaw bone, and nerves. So your dentist will want to step in and extract the problematic wisdom teeth before their roots are fully formed.

Stubborn Baby Tooth

Your child’s baby teeth will usually fall out in their own time in the best order for his or her permanent teeth to come in normally. But, occasionally a baby tooth can be stubborn and will need to be extracted. Undergoing such an extraction may keep your child from needing orthodontic treatment later on.

Overcrowded Mouth

Your Indianapolis Oral Surgeon will extract teeth when there is just not enough room in your mouth for the teeth that are coming in, or in preparation for braces or another form orthodontic treatment. Orthodontists often need the additional space in the mouth gained by tooth extraction for your remaining teeth to be moved and aligned in the proper way. For orthodontic treatment, the teeth that are usually removed are the first premolars, next the canines or eyeteeth.

How Will My Tooth Be Extracted?

YourIndianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center team will walk you through each step of the extraction process including:

X-rays

We will take X-rays of your teeth to determine the exact position of the tooth’s roots and to find out what kind of condition the bone around the tooth is in. These X-rays will be used to foresee any potential challenges with your extraction.

Medical History

Your family dentist will review your medical history to make sure you are healthy enough for the procedure and discuss anesthesia options with you. Then your appointment will be set.

Anesthesia

At your appointment, your Oral Surgeon will administer a local anesthesia that will numb the tooth to be extracted and the gums surrounding it. We can use additional sedatives as needed, such as: oral sedative pills, nitrous oxide gas, or intravenous sedation. Complete sedation is usually only required for more challenging tooth extractions or when you have more than one tooth that needs to be extracted.

Extraction

Your Oral Surgeon will carefully loosen the tendon fibers around your tooth, being careful to make sure that the bone surrounding your tooth is not damaged. If your extraction is going to lead to the placement of a dental implant or orthodontics, our dentists will sometimes place a tiny amount of lab-processed bone-grafting material into your tooth socket to retain the bone volume.

Recovery

Your recovery time should be minimal at our Indianapolis office. Immediately after the tooth extraction, your Oral Surgeon will apply pressure with sterile gauze for 10 – 20 minutes to control any bleeding. A few small stitches may also be utilized. In most cases you will want to have someone drive you home and take it easy immediately after your extraction.

At Home

Your Oral Surgeon  may prescribe antibiotics to enhance healing and make sure that your tooth extraction doesn’t result in infection. Patients routinely encounter some mild swelling or irritation after a tooth extraction. You may want to take ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory drugs to ease this discomfort. You may also want to use ice packs on the outside of your jaw and eat softer foods until the discomfort subsides. Within a few days your mouth should be back to normal.

Call Your Indianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center Today!

If you think that you may need a tooth extraction, contact Indianapolis Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center and speak with our experienced and skilled Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeon to learn what options may be right for you. Dr. Falender and his skilled staff are all here to help answer any questions you may have about tooth extraction and your complete oral health. Together, we can help you maintain a healthy mouth that will result in a happier, healthier you!