Hi my name is Dr. Dionysius David and I am a general dentist. Today we will be discussing the dental procedure Extractions.
What is an Extraction and Who does it?
An extraction describes the process where a tooth is removed from a patients mouth. It may require an incision into the gums and/or drilling into the tooth or its supporting bone during the procedure.
2 types of people perform extractions – General Dentists and Oral Surgeons. What is the difference?
A General Dentist has completed a dental degree at an accredited University. An Oral surgeon is a Specialist who has completed a dental degree but has gone on to complete a hospital residency for an extra 4-7 years and passed their Royal College examination.
Reasons For an Extraction:
-
Infection
-
If the tooth structure is infected this is known as Caries which is usually referred to as a “Cavity.” If the Caries gets deep and infects the pulp/‘living’ tissue of the tooth then the tooth will require a Tooth Extraction or root canal to resolve the cause of the infection.
-
If the gums and/or supporting tissues get infected and an abscess forms this may result in the tooth needing to be extracted due to a Periodontal/gum issue. The extraction removes the cause of the infection.
-
-
Unrestorable– This means your dentist has decided the damage that has occurred to the tooth by infection, such as caries, or by function such as a fracture, prevents it from being restored/ fixed. Reasons for this include
-
Not enough sound tooth structure due to large decay
-
Vertical Fracture
-
Root canal Treatment that cannot be redone
-
-
Orthodontics
Risks or postoperative complications:
Any procedure has risks associated with it. After extractions some of these include:
Bleeding, swelling, infection, or damage to structures beside the teeth being removed: Such as adjacent teeth, supporting bone, nerves, and sinuses.
The information in this video is meant to be a summary. If you have any further questions do discuss these with your dentist or talk to us. Call (403)-252-7733 or visit us at 41 Crowfoot Rise NW, in Calgary.