Tooth Extraction
While no dentist ever wants to recommend tooth extraction, there are several cases where tooth extraction may not be avoidable. The most commonly extracted teeth are third molars, wisdom teeth, but there are other situations in which extracting one or more teeth may be beneficial to a patient’s overall oral health.
At BC Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, we’re happy to provide expert surgical and non-surgical tooth removal in Mauritius.
If you need one or more teeth extracted, whether it is a general tooth extraction or a surgical tooth extraction, our skilled Oral Surgeon Specialist at BC Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, can safely and comfortably remove your tooth, leaving you with a flawless, healthy smile.
Why do tooth and tooth roots need to be extracted?
Some cases in which tooth extraction may not be avoidable include:
- Prevention of complications – If a badly diseased tooth is not extracted promptly, complications such as infection in other teeth, the jawbone or through the blood stream to other parts of the body, may occur. This can seriously affect your health.
- Improvement of appearance – Tooth extraction can be an important part of a treatment plan designed to improve the appearance of your teeth.
- Extensive damage – If you’ve suffered trauma, major decay or broken-down large fillings, tooth extraction may be necessary.
- Gum disease – If there is a build-up of plaque and calculus (tartar) on a tooth, gums may become inflamed and infected. When not treated promptly, gum disease is likely to damage the underlying bone and other tissues around the tooth root.
- Supernumerary teeth/Overcrowding – If you have one or more additional permanent teeth, these may become impacted causing pain, infection and damage to other teeth. Supernumerary teeth must be removed if they are likely to interfere with orthodontic treatment.
- A tooth with no function – It may be necessary to remove a tooth without an opposing partner to grind against during chewing.
- Vertical cracks in a tooth root – Roots can shift and split, and crack upwards or downwards. When repair is not possible, extraction may be necessary.
- Failed root fillings.
- Impacted or misplaced (ectopic) teeth.
The Two Types of Tooth Extraction
- Simple Extractions (|General Tooth Extraction): These are performed on teeth that are visible in the mouth. General dentists commonly do simple extractions, and most are usually done under a local anesthetic, with or without anti-anxiety medications or sedation.
- Surgical Extractions: These involve teeth that cannot easily be seen or reached in the mouth, either because they have broken off at the gum line or they have not fully erupted. Performed by Oral surgeons, surgical extractions require some type of surgical procedure, such as bone removal, removing and/or lifting and folding back all or part of the gum tissue to expose the tooth, or breaking the tooth into pieces (called tooth sectioning). Surgical extractions can be done with local anesthesia and/or conscious sedation. Patients with special medical conditions and young children may receive general anesthesia.
At BC Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery we offer both Simple (General) Tooth Extraction and Surgical Tooth Extraction
When to Choose an Oral Surgeon for Tooth Extraction?
General dentists often offer tooth extractions, but these dentists do not have the same level of education, training, and hands on experience with advanced surgical techniques.
As much as any dentist strives perfection, things can go wrong during some extractions. If the tooth has complex roots or cracks during the procedure, an oral surgeon may be needed to complete the process. In this case, you would be referred to a surgeon as quickly as possible to minimize discomfort and the risk for further complications.
Never receive anesthesia from someone who is not a trained professional in case you have an adverse reaction to it.
At BC Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, our Oral Surgeon performs surgical treatments including tooth extraction on a daily basis, and has the ability to perform even the most complex tooth extraction with ease.
The Tooth Extraction Process and what to Expect During Treatment
At the extraction appointment, we will numb, or anesthetize, the tooth to be extracted, as well as the jawbone and gums surrounding it. Typically, a local anesthetic is injected to eliminate discomfort.
Simple (General) Extractions: Grasping the tooth with specialized pliers called extraction forceps and move them back and forth to loosen the tooth before removing it. Sometimes, a surgical cutting instrument called a luxator is used to help loosen the tooth as well as using “elevators,” which are levers. Usually we will first use an elevator to wedge between the tooth and the surrounding bone. The elevator places pressure on the tooth, which helps to expand the tooth’s socket and separate its ligament.
Surgical Extractions: These procedures generally are more complicated, so your Oral Surgeon may sedate you before numbing your tooth, then use a dental drill, apply pressure to your tooth with an elevator or extraction forceps, and remove your tooth. Greater surgical effort may be needed in other cases. For instance, gum and/or bone tissue may cover or surround a tooth in a way that makes it difficult to view and/or access it. If so, your Oral Surgeon will need to cut and lift back or remove this tissue. Sometimes a tooth is so firmly anchored in its socket and the tooth must be cut into pieces in order to remove each portion individually.
Your Oral surgeon may need to place stitches and/or add bone (natural or synthetic) in the extraction site after the procedure. Some stitches are absorbable and will disintegrate on their own; others require removal, usually about a week after surgery.
What causes difficult extractions?
Some teeth or roots are difficult to remove, this is usually due to:
- Adjacent teeth having crowns or large fillings
- Previous damage to the crown of the tooth being extracted, making the crown weak
- A tooth being in an abnormal position that affects neighbouring teeth
- A major nerve near the tooth needing to be extracted
- Large or curved roots that penetrate deeply into the jawbone or that have been root filled
- Dense bone
- Unerupted or impacted teeth or a tooth fused to the jawbone (ankylosis)
Schedule a Teeth Examination
At BC Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, our Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon can perform an oral examination and x-rays of the mouth, to evaluate the position of the teeth and predict if there are present or may be future problems, whether your teeth are impacted, if there is room for them to erupt, and how difficult it will be to have them removed
Contact us today to arrange for a teeth examination to determine whether you may or may not require tooth removal.
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