Extractions

“Like pulling teeth.” Everyone has heard that expression. It refers to something extremely difficult and avoided if at all possible. Previous to the dental advances in the last century, dentists were only seen if a patient had a toothache. Once a toothache started, the only solution at that time was to pull the offending tooth. With no anesthetic available to the dentist, pulling the tooth was a traumatic and painful procedure that no one wanted to have to go through.

Lucky for us, we live in a time where pulling a tooth is not traumatic at all – and definitely not painful. Of course, we also have the means and the motivation to try to save as many natural teeth as possible, so pulling a tooth (an extraction) is not a common event anymore. Unfortunately, it still has to be done occasionally. When a tooth is too damaged to restore, an extraction is unavoidable to prevent infection from developing and spreading.

Knowing what to expect before the procedure will sometimes keep anxiety at a minimum. The area of the tooth is numbed before beginning. At any point during the procedure, if pain should be felt, more anesthetic is easily administered. No one should feel any pain during an extraction.

Once numb, the tooth is gently rocked back and forth until it is loosened from the jaw and removed. It is sometimes recommended to go home and rest the remainder of the day if possible, but the patient should be back to their normal schedule by the next day,

More Information Here: https://education.avadent.com/ada/index.php/portal/show/7aa02bc0774716/6/21