What You Need to Know About Tooth Extractions

OF THE MANY HEALTH CARE procedures you may have to undergo, a tooth extraction is probably among the least desirable. Hollywood script writers sometimes turn to tooth extraction (without an anesthetic) to depict torture scenes. In real life, tooth extractions – with an anesthetic, of course – are sometimes necessary, says Dr. Leena Palomo, an associate professor of periodontics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Most tooth extractions are performed without complications, but some patients require multiple tooth extractions at the same time, Palomo says. “If it’s a straightforward extraction, with one tooth, you’re in and out and it’s done,” she says. “But if it’s a complicated case, if you’re having 32 teeth removed, that’s a much more involved procedure. That might take place in a hospital or medical center operating room and require you to be admitted.”

Here are typical reasons for a tooth extraction or extractions:

Irreparable tooth decay.

Bone loss around the tooth.

Fracture of a tooth or tooth root.

An impacted wisdom tooth.