General Dentist Airdrie
Tooth Extraction Procedure

Some of the instances when dental extraction may be recommended include:

• Infection causing damage to the surrounding bone
• To reduce crowding and create space for teeth to move with orthodontic treatment
• Impacted wisdom teeth
• Trauma
• Extensive decay that has reached the centre of the tooth and cannot be fixed with a root canal alone
• Insufficient room in the mouth for all teeth to develop
• Painful, decayed, or infected wisdom teeth

Tooth extraction procedure

Here are a few things to expect during the tooth extraction process.

Preparation for tooth removal:

Before the procedure, we will examine your medical and dental history in order to identify any allergies, medical conditions, recent surgeries, and medications you’re taking.

We will administer a local anaesthetic so you won’t feel any pain from your gums. When we have anxious patients, we may administer a sedative in order to make them feel relaxed during the procedure.

When the local anaesthetic has taken effect, we can start the procedure.

Socket expansion and tooth extraction:

The root section of your teeth is firmly encased in the bone and anchored by a ligament. During tooth removal, we will expand the socket, separating the tooth from this ligament. This process involves rocking the tooth from different angles until it loosens enough to pull out.

There won’t be any pain, but you may experience some pressure at the site. In the event that you feel any pain, please tell your dentist right away.

Types of extraction

We offer two types of dental extractions for our patients in Airdrie Alberta:

1. Simple extractions – where we loosen the tooth and remove it with forceps after administering a local anaesthetic. Only possible with the most teeth
2. A surgical extraction – only required when the tooth has not emerged yet, has broken off at the gum line, or has significantly large roots. Local anaesthetic and general anaesthetic or IV are usually necessary with surgical extractions.

Though a general anaesthetic is administered with surgical extractions, both procedures are actually painless, though you may experience some pressure or pulling as the tooth comes off.

Closing the extraction site:

After removing the tooth, we will close up the extraction site by:

• Scraping (curettage) the tooth socket walls to get rid of infected or pathologic tissue
• Applying finger pressure at the “expanded” socket to compress it
• Placing folded gauze at the site for you to bite down to control bleeding
• Rounding off any sharp bone edges
• Checking the socket for sinus issues
• Irrigating (washing out) the socket to get rid of any tooth fragments or loose bone
• Placing materials in the tooth socket to promote blood clotting
• Placing stitches

After the extraction procedure, you may need to bite down on folded gauze to control bleeding and help the blood clot. If you feel some discomfort, we may administer some anti-inflammatory medication to relieve pain. Some ice packs may also be necessary to reduce any swelling.

It is important that you don’t use a spit or straw, or even smoke, as these actions can cause bleeding when the clot dislodges.