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Do I Need a Tooth Extraction?

What You Need to Know About Tooth Extraction

Have you been experiencing sharp pain radiating from one of your teeth? Does the tooth have visible signs of decay? At OG Dental Group, we aim to be the best emergency dentist in Denver. Patients rely on our team to resolve painful and urgent oral healthcare situations.

Tooth pain may indicate that the tooth is in need of a filling, root canal therapy, or perhaps a total tooth extraction. The best way to determine whether your tooth is at the extraction stage is by visiting a dentist near me for an examination and x-rays done.

The idea of having a tooth extracted can lead to anxiety and concern. The more you know about a procedure, the less anxiety you’ll feel.

What is a tooth extraction?

Tooth extraction is a dental procedure where a tooth is removed from its socket, entirely. The tooth can be removed in the Denver, CO dental office. Dr. O’Grady, who is highly skilled with the experience needed to perform a safe dental extraction.

The preferred protocol for teeth is to preserve them when it is possible and when it makes sense for your oral health. Your teeth, gums, and mouth will be thoroughly examined before the decision to extract a tooth is made. If other treatments do not work to preserve the tooth, we will ensure that the procedure will be as painless as is possible.

Reasons For a Tooth Extraction

The reasons for needing an extraction may vary but may include some of the following:

  • To resolve overcrowded teeth. Extracting one or more teeth might be needed in order to eliminate overcrowding in your mouth. This might be the recommended course of treatment if orthodontic treatment.
  • Needed after an impact or other injury. When the tooth is damaged from a direct impact or some other type of injury, the first choice of your dentist will be to make every effort to preserve the damaged tooth. Children are often seen at O’Grady dental care for injuries to a tooth. As a pediatric dentist in Denver, parents trust Dr. O’Grady will make every effort to preserve the tooth with dental bonding or a dental crown. An extraction may be required if the tooth is simply too damaged to save.
  • Severe damage, as the result of advanced decay. A small cavity can soon turn into severe tooth decay if it is not addressed in a timely manner. When the decay advances to the center of the tooth, also known as the pulp, the bacteria can lead to an infection. Root canal procedures can help to remove the infection and stabilize the tooth. Dr. Herko, a New Providence dentist, agrees that if the infection is too advanced, the best course of action is to extract the tooth in order to keep the infection from spreading further.
  • Resolve an impacted tooth. When a tooth does not fully erupt from the gums, it is considered to be impacted. There are a number of reasons that a tooth may be impacted. Wisdom teeth are the teeth most commonly seen as being impacted. Extracting the impacted teeth can help with overcrowding and also lower the risk for infection if the teeth were to get cavities. 

What is the process of extracting a tooth?

The process of extracting a tooth is fairly simple in design. We offer sedation dentistry Denver patients will appreciate, to help reduce the anxiety or fear that you may be feeling. Once you are comfortable, we ensure that the tooth and the surrounding gum are completely numb before we extract the tooth. As your Denver dental care professionals of choice, we make patient comfort our first priority.

If the tooth has enough above the gum line, your Denver dentist will grip it firmly with dental tools that may closely resemble a pair of pliers. The tooth will be rocked back and forth in order to loosen it within the socket. It should take a few minutes of rocking the tooth before it pops right out of the socket. In some cases, the tooth may be broken under the gum line. Small surgical incisions will be made to remove the pieces of the tooth. 

In some situations, a tooth that is proving difficult to break free from the gum may be broken into a few pieces by your dentist in order to facilitate the extraction. 

At OG Dental, we offer a wide range of dental services that will keep your teeth and gums healthy. You’ll find that we can offer you sedation solutions to ease your anxiety, along with the quality dental care that you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your tooth extraction consultation.