Dental Extraction: Meaning, Types, Procedures & Risks

Proper brushing and flossing practices or regular dental rinse with fluoride-rich mouthwashes can be a helpful measure in preventing your oral health from getting compromised. However, severe gum infection or cavity issues can decay your tooth beyond the capacity of repairing. In such an instance, dental extraction becomes the ideal course of action for orthodontists.

In simple terms, dental extraction refers to the procedure of getting your tooth pulled out to preserve your overall oral hygiene. Your dentist will use specially designed medical equipment to safely remove the tooth from the socket in the jaw called a dental alveolus.

Your dentist is likely to suggest an extraction only when a tooth has become unrestorable due to any dental disease. This option is also a viable option for orthodontists regarding a patient’s dental trauma caused by severe injury to the teeth, periodontium, tissues, tongue, or lips. As such a decayed tooth leads to an excruciating toothache – leading to headaches, pain in your jawbone and neck etc.- tooth extraction is effective in eradicating the issue altogether.

Notably, there are some other reasons for extraction. For instance, if you have an impacted third molar or wisdom tooth, then it can lead to a type of gum infection called pericoronitis. Dentists often prescribe dental extraction if other conventional treatments are not capable of resolving this issue.

Similarly, if you are struggling with malocclusion – where your teeth get misaligned due to crowding – then your dentist can suggest extracting a healthy tooth. This, in turn, creates the space needed to straighten the rest of your teeth.

Your dentist will thoroughly assess the past medical reports and current health condition to decide whether tooth extraction is a suitable alternative for you. If you are deemed eligible, the orthodontist will decide the best course of action to reduce the risk of infection and severe pain.

So, medical experts opt for any of these two types of dental extractions:

• Simple Extraction: This kind of extraction is conducted when pulling out a tooth clearly visible in your mouth and not underneath your gums. The comparatively straightforward approach to this process allows general dentists to easily perform the extraction using local anaesthesia at their clinic.
• Surgical Extraction: This is a more complicated endeavour than its counterpart mentioned above, and usually, a dental surgeon is involved in the procedure. If a tooth is not clearly visible in your mouth, a dental specialist is likely to opt for this alternative. Scenarios like this can present themselves if a tooth has not completely erupted through your gum or if it is fractured. As a result, the surgeon might need to break down a tooth into multiple fragments in order to extract it safely. Consequently, this procedure needs to be conducted in a hospital setting using general anaesthesia.

There are two types of extraction procedures used by the dentist. They are as follows -

1. Simple Extraction Procedure

For a simple extraction, the general dentist uses a clinical elevator to loosen the decaying tooth from its place. Handheld tools are used to grab the visible portion of the tooth. The dentist moves this tooth back and forth in order to break the periodontal ligament. Once this ligament is sufficiently broken, the dentist will safely pull the tooth out from the alveolar bone. This procedure is highly unlikely to lead to any significant complications, so you can completely recover in around ten days.

2. Surgical Extraction Procedure

On the other hand, surgical dental extractions require the dental practitioner to perform an incision into the connective tissues in the gum. As these connective tissues surround the tooth, an incision gives the surgeon proper access needed for the extraction. Furthermore, the oral maxillofacial surgeons also use drilling or osteotome to remove adjacent jawbones as a part of this surgery.

The medical professional will also be conducting an x-ray scan of your teeth to ensure that this whole endeavour can be conducted without a hitch. As you will need stitches afterward, it takes comparatively more time for a patient to completely recover.

Keep in mind that if you are opting for tooth extraction, there are a fair share of risk factors involved. Some of these considerations include:

• The bone present underneath gets exposed after the procedure is completed
• Excessive pain in the jaw socket
• Food particles can get trapped in this socket, leading to infection
• Similarly, a bacterial infection in the sockets is also a possibility
• Harmful bacteria can get into a patient’s bloodstream
• Chances of the adjacent tooth or the jawbone getting damaged
• Your sinus can get triggered
• Running a high fever
• There is a chance of nerve injury
• Nausea and vomiting, etc.

Once your tooth is pulled out, swelling and bruising are some of the most common aftereffects. To ensure that your mouth can heal properly without much delay, you need to follow some simple aftercare methods. These include:

• When brushing, try to avoid the injured area for some time. Your dentist will be able to guide you regarding the adequate timespan. You can keep brushing and flossing the rest of your mouth as usual.
• When you have to clean the extraction area, it is best to use an antimicrobial mouthwash. Rinsing your mouth with it 2-3 times a day can help your oral health immensely.
• Your dentist will prescribe a thorough medicinal regimen, including the painkillers and antibiotics you need to take. Make sure you are consuming them on schedule without missing any of the doses.
• Avoid any strenuous activity for at least 3 days so that there is no added risk of post-operative bleeding.
• Consuming soft foods for a while is essential.