For teeth that are too damaged or decayed and cannot be repaired, having your tooth removed (or extracted) may be your only option. Your Everyday Smiles dentist can discuss and recommend the best treatment options for your severely damaged tooth. If you decide to have your tooth removed, you can usually go straight home after the extraction procedure is complete.

An oral X-ray may be taken as part of your dentist’s preparation for your tooth extraction procedure. Be sure to provide your dentist with your updated medical and dental history details including a list of your current prescribed and over-the-counter medication. It is essential that your dentist can provide you with safe, suitable and well-informed dental treatment.

After your tooth is removed, your tooth socket needs 2-4 weeks healing time with medication. Your dentist will provide you with personalised instructions regarding your oral care and hygiene routine at home during the recovery process. Your dentist may prescribe a short course of pain relief medication and/or antibiotics to treat gum infection. You may experience some mild pain and discomfort for a few days following treatment.

Following your dentist instructions is important to ensure that your tooth socket heals over successfully. This initial healing period usually takes about two weeks.

Types of extractions:

There are two main methods your dentist uses to extract teeth – simple extractions and surgical extractions.

A simple extraction is the most common extraction method for teeth that can be seen in your mouth. At the start of the procedure, your dentist administers a local anaesthetic so you won’t feel any pain. Your dentist will then proceed to loosen your tooth in its socket with a dental tool called an elevator. Finally, a pair of forceps is used to remove your tooth from its socket.

A surgical extraction is a more complicated dental technique used for problematic teeth that are not visible in your mouth. These teeth may have broken up beneath your gum line or failed to emerge from your gums. General anaesthesia or stronger types of dental sedation may be required. You may also be prescribed pain medication to help ease and reduce any pain and swelling you may experience after your surgical extraction.

Wisdom teeth

Wisdom teeth do not usually need to be extracted except for when emerging wisdom teeth do not have enough room to develop. This oral condition is known as impacted wisdom teeth.

Impacted wisdom teeth may result in swelling, infection, pain and discomfort. These symptoms can be relieved if your impacted teeth are surgically removed. Either your dentist or an oral surgeon will remove your wisdom teeth, depending on the complexity of the extraction.

Wisdom teeth removal is a fairly common and the procedure is considered to be safe. Side effects of the procedure are temporary, with symptoms ranging from facial swelling to bruising and stiffness of your jaw. These symptoms should not last for more than two weeks as your gums gradually recover and heal.