Extractions & Wisdom Teeth

It has always been our practice philosophy that tooth extraction be an absolute last resort and this is still the way that we would advise anybody. However, there is sometimes no option but to remove an unrestorable tooth or to provide a more predictable long-term option.

We would like to ensure that our clients have all of the information necessary for them to make a decision about extraction before they make a commitment.

Because we provide a lot of surgical dentistry we are able to offer lots of options with regards to extractions. Broadly speaking there are 3 different types of extraction technique:

• Conventional – this is the quickest technique used when access is easy and a tooth may already be loose
• Surgical – this technique is used when either the tooth is below the gum level or broken down. In any case it will require the cutting of either the tooth and/or the gum to remove the tooth. This may also mean that stitches may be necessary to close the site.
• Surgical extraction for implant placement – we use this technique either when we are planning to place an implant for the client or if that person may be considering an implant in the near future. This is a very intricate technique where we go out of our way to conserve the bone in the area for use in implant surgery afterwards.

Whichever technique is appropriate for your case, rest assured that we will ensure that we make the procedure easy and as pain-free as possible.

Removing teeth is often considered a good option in the short term when people present with severe pain. When they are in this situation it is often difficult to think rationally.

It is very important to note that if one tooth is removed you could lose the function of two or more teeth. That is because the teeth below that one being removed have nothing to bite against. If there are already other teeth missing this can lead to the remaining teeth becoming overloaded which will then start a downward spiral leading to multiple teeth being lost. It is also very common after tooth loss to see the adjacent and opposing teeth start to drift around.