A dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, including tooth decay, impacted or problematic wisdom teeth, for orthodontic treatment, and periodontal disease.
What Is The History Of Removing Teeth?
Historically, dental extractions have been used to treat a variety of illnesses, as well as a method of torture to obtain forced confessions! Before the discovery of antibiotics, chronic tooth infections were often linked to a variety of health problems, and therefore removal of a diseased tooth was a common treatment for various medical conditions. Instruments used for dental extractions date back several centuries.
What Are The Reasons For Extracting Teeth?
The most common reason for extracting a tooth is tooth damage due to breakage or decay. Some other possible reasons for tooth extraction are as follows:
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Extra teeth which are blocking other teeth from coming in.
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Severe gum disease which may affect the surrounding tissues and bone structures of teeth.
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Severe tooth decay or infection.
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In lireliaration for orthodontic treatment (braces).
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Insufficient space for wisdom teeth (impacted wisdom teeth).
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Receiving radiation to the head and neck may require extraction of teeth in the field of radiation.
Extractions Are Often Categorized As “Simple” Or “Surgical”
Simple extractions are performed on teeth that are visible in the mouth, usually under local anaesthetic, and require only the use of instruments to elevate and/or grasp the visible portion of the tooth. Typically the tooth is lifted using an elevator, and subsequently using dental forceps, rocked back and forth until the periodontal ligament has been sufficiently broken and the supporting alveolar bone has been adequately widened to make the tooth loose enough to remove.
Surgical extractions involves the removal of teeth that cannot be easily accessed, either because they have broken under the gum line or they have not erupted fully or they have roots that lock into your jaw bone. In a surgical extraction the dentist may elevate the soft tissues covering the tooth and bone and may also remove some of the overlying and/or surrounding bone tissue with a drill. Frequently, the tooth may be split into multiple pieces to facilitate its removal.