Sunbury
Tooth Extractions

The process of tooth extraction differs depending on whether you need a basic extraction or surgical extraction. However, both treatments start with a cleaning. Then, your mouth will be numbed. For a basic extraction, Dr. Miller will use a specialized dental tool to loosen your tooth. Once it has been sufficiently loosened, Dr. Miller will gently extract it. Then, the area will be cleaned and sutured shut. Surgical extractions involve opening a small opening in your gums near the tooth, then removing the tooth. Once it has been extracted, the area will be cleaned and sutured shut.

You will feel no pain or discomfort during the extraction process. We use the latest numbing techniques to keep you comfortable, and ensure you feel absolutely no pain while your tooth is being removed. However, some pain and discomfort while you recover is to be expected. Dr. Miller may prescribe you with a painkiller to help with this discomfort, which will usually fade within a few days. Taking steps like eating soft foods, rinsing gently with salt water and icing your cheek for 10 minutes at a time can help with discomfort.

Your mouth will start to heal as soon as your tooth has been extracted. A blood clot will form in the socket where your tooth used to be. This will become the “scaffold” around which your gums will heal. It’s very important to avoid dislodging the blood clot for the first 24-48 hours after surgery, so avoid doing things like using straws, spitting forcefully, or eating hard foods.

It takes about two weeks to completely recover from a tooth extraction. To recover quickly, it’s absolutely essential that you follow Dr. Miller’s instructions after your tooth has been extracted. After your surgery, you’ll get a comprehensive set of instructions about how you can care for your tooth and ensure it heals properly.

Yes, up to a point, there are multiple alternatives to having a tooth extracted and whenever possible, it’s always preferable to save a tooth. The saying “prevention is better than the cure” applies to dentistry too and when it comes to losing teeth, saving and treating them is almost always better than having them removed entirely.

Your options depend on the specific situation but the most popular alternative to extraction is root canal therapy. If your tooth’s pulp is damaged or infected, you will need to have the damaged pulp removed or have the tooth removed. If a root canal is still a viable option, we highly recommend going through with the procedure, as root canals are 95% effective, and modern techniques make them a simple, pain-free treatment.

If extraction is on the table due to gum disease, there are many treatments available depending on the stage of gum disease. If the teeth have become loose due to bone loss and gum recession, surgery can reattach the gums to the tooth’s root.

A tooth that has been damaged due to dental trauma may be repaired through dental bonding or by placing a crown on top of it. However, teeth can reach a point of extensive decay and damage where alternatives to extraction are no longer an option. 

This is why early treatment and prevention are so important. While you can always have a tooth extracted, you can’t always get a root canal or these other alternative procedures once it’s too late. Tooth loss also accelerates bone loss and increases your risk of losing additional teeth in the future.

If you need an extraction or are curious about your options, contact us at Shine Dental today. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Katelyn Miller to find out if extraction is the most suitable choice for you or if your tooth can be saved with alternative treatment.

You do not necessarily need to have your wisdom teeth removed if they are not causing you any problems and are unlikely to in the future. The reason wisdom teeth are so commonly removed is that they often cause oral health problems, such as tooth and jaw pain, overcrowding, impaction, infection, an increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease, and pushing against other teeth.

Wisdom teeth usually come in at the wrong angle or never fully erupt through the gums, which is what causes complications, pain, and infections. However, if your wisdom teeth are growing perfectly straight, in line with your other teeth, and are not causing you any issues, there is no need to extract them. We recommend having an x-ray taken so we can see exactly how the wisdom teeth are sitting in the jaw to predict if they can cause any problems in the future.

Unless the tooth is a wisdom tooth, yes, you will need to have it replaced. The reason for this is two-fold: leaving a space open in the mouth will cause your other teeth to shift and lean into the space which can cause crooked and overcrowded teeth. 

The other reason is that tooth loss will lead to bone loss in all cases except when the tooth is replaced with dental implants. Bone loss leads to changes in the facial and jaw structure, which can cause sagging and premature aging of the face.

There are various options for tooth replacement, such as partial or full dentures, dental bridges, and dental implants. Dentures can be used to replace a few or an entire set of teeth and are removable. 

Dental bridges can replace between 1-3 consecutive missing teeth and are secured into place with dental cement. Dental implants involve inserting a titanium implant into the jawbone where they become fused, acting as a natural tooth and preserving the jawbone.

Replacing missing teeth assists with speech, mastication, aesthetics, and helps mitigate changes to the facial structure and bone loss (depending on the restoration). Most importantly, filling in the space will stop your other teeth from moving around.