Tooth Extractions

At Family Tree Dental, we provide our patients with the professional dental care that they deserve, so they can maintain good oral health and enjoy a future full of healthy, brilliant smiles. Out of our local dental office in St. Paul, we work with the families of our community, offering a wide range of cosmetic and general dental treatment options that caters to patients of all ages, including professional tooth extractions.

Why Are Tooth Extractions Necessary?

While there are many dental treatments that are designed to preserve your original teeth as long as their healthy, there are some cases where your overall oral health would be better off if a tooth is removed completely. Dr. Watson would not recommend a tooth extraction unless it would be the most beneficial option for you and your health.

The reason that a tooth extraction can vary, with the most common reasons being:

• Severe Tooth Decay – decay eats away at your healthy tooth, which can lead to infection and further damage. Advanced stages of decay leave little remaining of the healthy tooth, and removing it can prevent decay and infection from spreading.
• Advanced Gum Disease – if left untreated, serious cases of gum disease can damage the tissue supporting your teeth or the bone structure of your jaw. By performing a tooth extraction, your dentist can halt the advancement of gum disease, protecting your other healthy teeth, bone, and tissue.
• Blocking Tooth Development – in some cases, a tooth can prevent the eruption of other teeth from the gums, which can lead to serious orthodontic issues such as crowding or impacting. By removing the culprit tooth, the other teeth can be given enough room to develop properly.
• Orthodontic Treatment – during orthodontic treatment, it’s possible that a tooth must be extracted in order to give the other teeth enough room to move around freely and comfortably to create a new, healthier smile.
• Wisdom Tooth Development – these teeth that are at the very back of your jaw are often extracted before or after the develop, since they often erupt at an angle that can cause dental issues such as crowding. Your dentist can observe them closely as the develop, and if they pose a threat to your other healthy teeth, it is recommended that you have them extracted.

If you think that you may be in need of a tooth extraction due to any of the reasons listed above, contact us at Family Tree Dental to schedule an appointment!

What Happens During A Tooth Extraction?

The process of extracting a tooth only typically takes a couple of minutes at your local dentist’s office. Before the procedure, your dentist will administer an anesthetic to numb the area, since the extraction process is designed to be comfortable and painless. As your dentist extracts the tooth you will feel some pressure, but you will not feel pain due ot the anesthetic.

Once the tooth is extracted, it is typically for there the area to bleed, but your dentist will apply a patch of gauze that will be held in place to cover up the wound. The area where the tooth was removed will bleed minimally over the course of 24 hours, and will begin to reduce after that until it stops bleeding. Dr. Watson will provide you with instruction on how to and how often to replace the gauze in your mouth, as well as any other post-procedure steps that may be necessary to ensure that you have a fast and smooth recovery.

Contact Family Dental Today!

For a healthier, brighter smile, Family Tree Dental has what you need. If you have any questions about tooth extractions or our other general and cosmetic dentistry services such as teeth whitening or dental crowns, simply contact us and you’ll be connected with one of our knowledgeable staff members that will be happy to help you. To schedule an appointment with us, just give us a call or use our easy online appointment request form by clicking on the “Request Appointment” button at the top of the page. We look forward to providing you with the high quality dental care that our practice is known for, helping you transform your smile!