When you have a tooth that has been too badly damaged by decay or other injury, and cannot be fixed with a filling, crown, or other restoration means, you may need an extraction. Legacy Family Dental's doctors will always try to save the tooth first, but as a last resort, are capable of extracting the tooth. This is a relatively quick outpatient procedure with either local, general, intravenous anesthesia, or a combination of the three. Removing visible teeth is usually a simple extraction. However, teeth that are impacted or are broken below the surface may require a more involved procedure. In such cases the dentist will cut into your gum with a small incision and in certain instances may need to remove bone around your tooth or cut your tooth before it can be extracted.
Aside from decayed or broken teeth, other reasons that a tooth may need to be extracted include:
Following a tooth extraction, a blood clot naturally forms in the socket — the hole in the bone where the tooth has been extracted. However, in a small amount of cases, if the blood clot doesn't form or becomes dislodged, the bone inside the socket can become exposed (often referred to as a "dry socket”). If this happens, the dentist will protect the area by putting a sedative dressing over it for a few days. During this period, a new clot will form.
No matter your case, our goal is to keep you comfortable and at ease so we can restore your healthy smile.