Depending on your procedure's specifics, you will need a dentist or oral surgeon to extract your tooth. A dentist's priority is always to preserve as much of a patient's natural smile as possible. Still, sometimes we have no choice but to extract a tooth. Troublesome teeth can not only be excruciatingly painful, but they can also put the rest of your smile's health at risk. If we find your tooth should be removed, either a dentist or oral surgeon is needed to ensure everything goes as expected. When should a tooth be extracted? There are several reasons our dentists at Long Beach Family Dentist may suggest you have your tooth removed: Severe dental decay has made it impossible to save the tooth. In many cases, the cavity has killed the tooth. An emergency tooth extraction prevents the infection from spreading to nearby teeth. Periodontal disease has destroyed too much bone and gum tissue. In late-stage gum disease, the connective tissues holding your teeth in place are attacked until they can no longer support your teeth. Dental trauma has damaged a tooth beyond repair. When an accident happens, smaller cracks, chips, and breaks can be fixed with porcelain veneers or a crown. However, more extensive damage may require us to extract the tooth. Your wisdom tooth is or will cause trouble. Wisdom teeth can create several painful complications for your mouth if left where they are. Impacted wisdom teeth alone can lead to cavities and gum disease, damage to nearby teeth and bones, and cyst formation. Overcrowding is preventing orthodontic treatment. While braces and clear aligners can shift crooked and crowded teeth with ease, some overcrowding is too severe for orthodontics alone to fix. An extraction makes the room your mouth needs to move everything into place.

The Tooth Extraction Process There are two ways we might pull your tooth at our Long Beach dental office: Simple Extraction When a tooth is accessible above the gum line, your dentist can perform what's known as a simple extraction. Your tooth will first be numbed with a local anesthetic before it is loosened with a dental elevator. Then we can quickly and painlessly pull the tooth free with forceps. The entire process is quick, often taking as little as 20 minutes to finish. Surgical Extraction Sometimes the tooth isn't able to be reached for a simple removal. A tooth may have broken at the root, or it may be a wisdom tooth that is impacted and fully or partially submerged beneath the gums. In these cases, a simple extraction is required. After the tooth is numbed, we will make a small cut in your gums to access the hidden tooth. From there, things will progress similar to a simple extraction. However, we may need to cut the tooth into smaller pieces to make the removal process easier. Most surgical extractions take about 45 minutes. When An Oral Surgeon Is Needed While many general dentists perform both simple and surgical extractions, there are times your dentist may decide that an oral surgeon may be needed instead. Oral surgeons have the same base training as your general dentist, but they are specialized in surgical procedures. When it comes to emergency tooth extraction, oral surgeons understand the complex structures and tissues involved with unmatched expertise. This often makes them the best professional for the job during emergency and surgical removals. Your dentist may refer you to an oral surgeon if: Your tooth is already cracked or fractured. If a tooth is already damaged, it is likely to fracture further or break during treatment. An oral surgeon may be asked to be on hand or perform the extraction to ensure nothing goes wrong. If something does, they will be there to take care of any issues. Complications occur during your procedure. Sometimes the unexpected happens during an extraction with a general dentist—the tooth is more complex than previously believed or the root cracks mid-treatment. When this happens, an oral surgeon will be called in as an emergency dentist to ensure everything continues without any future hitches. Dental sedation is needed. Most oral surgeons are trained in sedation dentistry due to many oral surgery treatments' intensity and complexity. As such, when a patient requests to be sedated, a dentist not experienced in sedation may have an oral surgeon administer the medication. Your dentist isn’t trained in surgical removal. Of course, if your dentist can't perform the extraction themselves, then they will need to refer you to someone who can. You will need to see an oral surgeon for all surgical extractions, from impacted wisdom teeth to teeth broken below the gum line.

Frequently Asked Questions How much is a tooth extraction? There is no single fixed price for tooth removal procedures. Several factors determine your tooth extraction cost: Type of removal Number of teeth to be pulled If the tooth is impacted or a wisdom tooth Complexity of the extraction Whether dental sedation is needed Most dental insurance plans cover at least part of your procedure. However, if you need assistance ensuring your treatment is affordable, our Long Beach dental office has alternative financing options available. To discuss your exact pricing, you can reach us at (562) 999-3602 to schedule a financing consultation. How do you know if your tooth extraction is healing? Most dental extraction sites heal within one to two weeks, but more complicated cases often take as long as three. You may experience some light bleeding, pain, and swelling, but these should ease up and disappear within the first day or two. If your mouth is healing on schedule, it will start forming a blood clot within 24 hours. Blood clots help the wound to close and help your healing along faster. The socket should start closing after 72 hours. It should fully close within one to two weeks, depending on the complexity of your extraction. Without a blood clot, dry socket leaves your mouth's bone and nerves exposed and vulnerable. Dry socket can be extremely painful, especially if your mouth becomes infected by food, liquids, bacteria, and more exposed to the socket. While dry socket isn't common, it is more likely to occur with wisdom tooth extraction. To ensure the healing process goes smoothly, here are some tooth extraction aftercare tips we recommend: DO Stay at home and rest for a day or two following your treatment Use an ice pack in 15-minute intervals if you need to reduce swelling and numb any post-extraction discomfort Bite down on the gauze given to you by your dentist for the first half-hour afterward, and leave it on the extraction site for 3 to 4 hours Take prescription medications and pain relievers as recommended by your dentist or oral surgeon Stay on a liquid and soft food diet for the first few days Keep your head elevated, even while sleeping After 24 hours, rinse your mouth periodically with a saltwater rinse to clear any food, bacteria, and plaque from the wound DON’T Exercise or do any strenuous work for a few days Spit, rinse, or drink from a straw for 24 hours Smoke or drink alcohol for at least 3 days Use Aspirin or other blood thinners Eat on the side of the extraction until the socket closes Eat hot, crunchy, chewy, or spicy foods for up to a week Brush your teeth near the site for a day or two What happens if you don't replace an extracted tooth? Unless it is a wisdom tooth, our Long Beach dentists highly recommend you don’t wait to find a proper replacement for your removed tooth. After your tooth removal, the supporting jawbone below is reabsorbed into your mouth in a process called “resorption.” This bone loss is rapid in those first few months, and most patients lose about 25% of their jawbone within the first year alone. With this bone loss, neighboring teeth begin shifting into the growing divot left behind, like victims caught in a black hole’s orbit. This changes how your teeth fit together and can cause facial sagging and aging. Your teeth will be vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease. At their worst, they can lead to the need for further dental extractions. While not all tooth replacements can prevent bone loss, each one prevents your teeth from moving out of alignment and putting the rest of your smile in danger. What is the best option for replacing missing teeth? While there are multiple ways to rep Dental implants are rooted directly into the jaw, providing the right amount of pressure and stimulation your mouth requires to prevent resorption. Also, implants don't need the support of neighboring teeth, and they can last more than a decade longer with good care.