When a tooth is badly decayed or damaged and cannot be saved, it must be professionally removed through a procedure called a tooth extraction.
Extractions are commonly performed on teeth that are severely decayed or broken, or in cases where the mouth does not have space for the tooth– as is the case with most wisdom teeth extractions or extractions performed in conjunction to orthodontic treatment.
While many patients may be in pain prior to an extraction, the actual extraction procedure is virtually painless and many patients heal quickly and resume normal functions within a reasonable time post-procedure.
When is a Tooth Extraction Panama done?
Tooth Extraction is the Last Option
We will only advise you that the best solution is removal of the tooth if there are no other alternatives as we can not put the tooth back in place.
In fact, if you damage a tooth, our preferred method of treatment is to restore it using dental veneers or dental crowns.
We may recommend tooth extraction if
• Your tooth is too damaged by a fracture or deep cavity to repair.
• You have a sizable infection that cannot be resolved by a root canal alone.
• You have teeth that are blocking other teeth from coming in.
• You are getting braces and need to get rid of a tooth that is crowding others.
The Extraction Process
We understand that our patients are often intimidated by the prospect of needing to have a tooth extracted. This is a process that most people grow up fearing, in part because of popular movies and television conveying an extraction as something truly horrible. The good news is that we can complete the extraction gently, quickly, and while keeping you comfortable.
Before we get started, you will be sedated and you will receive medication to numb the area.
If your tooth has grown in straight
We can typically grasp the tooth, wiggle it, and gently but quickly pull it out. This process happens quickly, and afterward, we will clean the area and place gauze there to stop the bleeding.
If your tooth is impacted
As a cosmetic dentist, we remove impacted teeth as a matter of course. This process, however, is far more complicated because an impacted tooth cannot be pulled.
Instead, we have to cut open the gum tissue that surrounds the tooth so we can fully access it. In some cases, other bone or tissue has to be cut away so we have full access to the tooth and can pull it out. If necessary, we may need to pull it out one piece at a time. Afterward, we will clean the area, replace the gum flap, place sutures if necessary, and treat it with gauze.