Extracting a tooth is always the last resort at the Lighthouse Dental Practice and our team will always do their best to restore a damaged or infected tooth wherever possible.
Through procedures such as fillings, crowns and even root canal therapy, it is often possible to save even fairly badly damaged teeth. In some cases though, it no longer becomes possible, or practical, to do so, and the tooth may need to be removed.
It is important that you should never attempt to remove a tooth yourself. Doing so may not only potentially cause you a great deal of pain, but may also result in damage to the jawbone in the area and also greatly increase the risk of infection. Always seek assistance from your local dentist in Ipswich.
The extraction
Although some people describe having a tooth extraction as having a tooth ‘pulled out’, this is only a part of the story. Naturally, the area of the extraction will first of all be numbed using a local anaesthetic. Once we are happy that the anaesthetic has taken full effect, the dentist will use special implements to grip the tooth in question. Rather than ‘pull out’ the tooth directly though, the dentist will manoeuvre the tooth gently from side to side, gradually releasing it from the surrounding bone. Once this has happened, then the dentist can extract the tooth from its socket.
Inevitably, there will be some bleeding following the extraction and you will be given a piece of sterile gauze to bite on to stem the flow. This will be left until a blood clot has formed.
This clot plays an important role in the healing of the area and should not be dislodged. You will be given full aftercare advice following the procedure, and we are always on hand should you have any questions or concerns.
Wisdom teeth extraction
Where a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted, this can present different challenges. There are a number of problems that can arise when a wisdom tooth does not erupt successfully and we will discuss these in a future blog. It is important that any wisdom teeth problems are examined closely by our dental team, including the use of x-rays. These will help us to determine, where a wisdom tooth needs to be extracted, whether it can be done by the dentist at our Ipswich practice or whether it needs to be performed by a qualified oral surgeon, potentially within a hospital environment.
For any dental problems, even ones that you may consider to be minor, we are always happy to help and our experienced clinical team will examine the problem and determine the best course of treatment. To arrange an appointment at our Ipswich dental surgery, please call the Lighthouse Dental Practice on 01473 257 379.
We are here to help you.
If you would like to speak to a member of our friendly team about any of the issues in this article please visit our contact page or call us on 01473 257379.