What You Should Know about Emergency Dental Extractions

Our staff is proud of the fact that in this dental practice our goal is to help you maintain your teeth and keep them healthy for your whole life. Because we frequently mention this goal to our patients, the idea of a tooth extraction may seem counterintuitive. Rest assured, our emergency dentists always use removal as their last resort.

Only after it is apparent to our dentist that a tooth is beyond repair, or if attempting to keep it will put other teeth at risk will our dentist mention the topic of emergency dental extraction. At that time, you will hear all of the reasons the tooth cannot remain. We will never proceed without answering your questions or discussing your concerns.

REASONS FOR AN EMERGENCY DENTAL EXTRACTION
• Trauma –Some blow to the face or mouth is a common reason for tooth extraction. Often the injury has knocked a tooth out of its socket; however, sometimes a tooth is partially knocked out or broken into pieces. In cases like this, our dentist will examine your teeth carefully to see if the tooth is salvageable.

• Gum Disease – Periodontal diseases usually build over time and extractions typically are planned. Occasionally, a gum problem will suddenly become much worse. In these circumstances, it can be necessary to extract a tooth to save your gum tissue and any healthy bone.

• Infection – Typically, our dentist will recommend a root canal and antibiotics to stop infection and save the tooth. However, there are times when an infection is so extreme that the tooth is not salvageable without risking the spread of infection to other teeth or even to other parts of the body as a systemic infection.

Before the extraction begins, you will receive an anesthetic to numb your mouth. Then our dentist will trim back gum tissue and loosen the tooth. Eventually, your tooth will be loose enough to pull out. Then our dentist places gauze in the empty socket to stop the bleeding and help a clot to form. At this point, you should rest and follow any specific directions from our dentist.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, an extraction is necessary. If this happens to you, our staff will work to make sure you are as comfortable as possible and heal as quickly as you can.