The aim of extraction is to take out the tooth with severe problem or not suitable to retain, or to prepare for another course of treatment like orthodontic treatment.

Reasons for Dental Extraction

1. Severe Damage or Decay: A badly decayed/broken/fractured tooth that cannot be restored.

2. Impacted Teeth: Wisdom teeth that do not have enough space to emerge properly can cause pain and infections, necessitating their removal.

3. Orthodontic Preparation: In some cases, healthy teeth are extracted to create space for orthodontic treatment.

4. Infection: If tooth decay reaches the pulp and leads to infection that cannot be treated with root canal therapy, extraction may be required.

5. Crowding: Overcrowded mouths may require the removal of teeth to allow for proper alignment during orthodontic treatment.

6. Gum Disease: An extremely mobile tooth resulting from severe gum disease.

Extraction methods

● Non-surgical method: This is suitable for a normally erupted tooth. The dentist first administers local anesthesia to numb the tooth and surrounding gums, ensuring the patient feels no pain during the procedure. The dentist uses appropriate forcep or dental instrument to loosen and remove the tooth without surgical intervention. A simple tooth extraction should only take a few minutes. During the Extraction, patients will experience pressure in their mouth.

● Surgical method: This is used when the tooth cannot be simply extracted by the dental instruments. This includes badly decayed/fractured tooth, impacted tooth for example impacted wisdom tooth, crook-rooted tooth, tooth surrounded by very hard bone (common in elderly persons), etc. It may require incisions in the gum and possibly the removal of surrounding bone.

The Extraction Procedure

1. Preparation: The dentist will assess the tooth and surrounding area, often using X-rays to determine the best approach. Local anesthesia is administered to numb the area, and sedation may be used for more complex cases.

2. Extraction:

● For simple extractions, the dentist uses elevators and forceps to loosen and remove the tooth.

● For surgical extractions, an incision is made in the gum tissue. Reflect the gum to expose the bone, and then remove the covering bone to expose the roots. If needed, cut the tooth into few parts, loosen and take out all parts by use of dental instruments.

3. Post-Extraction Care: After the tooth is removed, the dentist will place gauze over the extraction site and ask the patient to bite down to control bleeding. This bleeding usually subsides within 24 hours.

Risks and Complications

While dental extractions are generally safe, potential risks include:

● Infection at the extraction site

● Nerve damage

● Excessive bleeding

● Swelling and discomfort post-procedure.

Points to note for extraction

1. Under normal circumstances, the anesthetic will last for about 2 hours. Please avoid eating/drinking hot food/drinks during this period to avoid burns and avoid biting your lips and cheeks.

2. Patients will feel varying degrees of pain after the anesthetic wears off. The patient can take painkillers once before the anesthetic wears off. Please take painkillers on time if required.

3. After tooth removal, please bite the gauze tightly for about 30 minutes. If you encounter any saliva or blood during this period, try not to spit it out to avoid affecting the wound.

4. Do not rinse your mouth after tooth extraction until the next morning, as rinsing your mouth may affect haemostasis or cause bacterial infection.

5. On the next day after tooth removal, you can use warm salt water to rinse your mouth to help with wound healing.

6. After discarding the gauze, it is normal to have slight bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop, you can put gauze or paper towels on the wound and bite it tightly for about 30 minutes. Please repeat the above steps until bleeding stops. If the wound still bleeds profusely, please notify our clinic as soon as possible.

7. After tooth removal, avoid eating, smoking, drinking, or doing any vigorous exercise.

8. Depending on the situation, the doctor may give you antibiotics. To prevent bacteria from developing antibiotic resistance, please follow the instructions and finish the entire course of treatment on time.

9. Depending on the situation, doctor may arrange follow-up consultations for patients. Generally, there is no additional fee. Please try to attend the appointment on time so that the doctor can follow up on your condition.

10. If you experience any complications after tooth removal or after taking medication, please notify our clinic as soon as possible for appropriate treatment.