When Are Tooth Extractions Considered Oral Surgery?
Do you need clarification about whether you should see a dentist or an oral surgeon when you think you might need a tooth extraction? Instead of wondering who to meet, wouldn’t you benefit by visiting the dentist near you and requesting an appropriate referral to a specialist performing these procedures?
Getting a tooth or teeth removed is not something to mess with. If you must have a tooth extracted, completing the procedure by a suitable dentist helps you achieve your goal and prevents complications in your mouth.
Dentists and oral surgeons both receive training to extract teeth. Unfortunately, dentists only receive the training to remove teeth in some situations. Therefore when trying to understand whether you need a dentist or must seek help from an oral surgeon, a discussion with the dentist will prove beneficial to make an informed decision. In this article, we discuss the topic of tooth removal to help you determine whether a dentist or an oral surgeon is suitable for extracting teeth. Kindly continue reading for more information.
Types of Teeth Requiring Oral Surgery for Extraction
Some types of teeth are better extracted by oral surgery than by a dentist. However, circumstances like your facial structure can make surgical extraction essential if your teeth are positioned wrongly in your jaw with large sinuses or limited jaw mobility making it challenging for dentists to perform the extraction successfully.
In addition, cracked or fractured teeth extending beneath the gum line need complex procedures with complete anesthesia necessitating oral surgery to remove the tooth. Finally, if you are affected by dental anxiety and find it challenging to remain in the dentist’s chair, oral surgery helps with the procedure because the professionals receive the qualifications to administer more potent anesthesia when removing a tooth or teeth.
You might confront complications with the removal if you have impacted teeth hidden below the gums and covered by bone. In such cases, dentists generally refer you to an oral surgeon with the experience and infrastructure needed to perform a complex procedure and help you recover without complications later.
The Difference between Simple and Complex Tooth Extractions
There are two types of tooth removal procedures — simple and complex.
Visible teeth noticeable above the gum line are comfortably extracted by dentists performing tooth extractions near you in a straightforward process after giving you local anesthesia. Simple extractions entail loosening the affected tooth using elevators before removing it with forceps.
Dentists determine surgical extractions by taking x-rays of your tooth for examination to ascertain whether the tooth is removable using a simple extraction process. However, if your tooth is inaccessible for impaction or bone blocking access, dentists suggest surgical removal of the tooth in an extensive procedure.
Surgical extractions become necessary if your tooth is impacted, like wisdom teeth that require cutting bone and tissue. Broken teeth beneath the gums also need surgical extractions besides removing root tips with lengthy and curved roots or molars broken at the gum line.
Tooth extractions, whether simple or surgical, are straightforward and performed routinely by dentists and oral surgeons. Although dentists don’t specialize in oral and maxillofacial surgery, they acquire education by attending webinars and conferences to perform surgical tooth removal efficiently. Therefore if you must have tooth extractions in McArthur by undergoing a surgical process, kindly rest assured the dentist has received the training and has the qualifications to perform surgical removal painlessly and give you adequate instructions on your recovery later.
What Is Involved in the Surgical Removal of Teeth?
Surgical tooth removal involves ascertaining the affected tooth’s position and discussing anesthesia options with you after considering your dental anxiety. You will receive local anesthesia near the affected tooth if you are confident you can undergo the procedure without additional help. However, if you can’t, the McArthur dentist suggests dental sedation to calm your nerves, making you think you spent minutes in the dentist’s chair while spending over an hour.
The McArthur specialist must make incisions in your gums to expose the impacted or broken tooth beneath your gums and remove bone and tissue covering it. If the tooth is challenging to remove, the dentist may decide to section it in pieces for comfortable removal. The professional clean and sutures the surgical site after completing the procedure and provides after-care instructions to help you recover quickly without complications.
As long as you follow your dentist’s instructions, you can recover without facing problems three or four days after oral surgery.
The Fall River Valley Dentist routinely performs simple and surgical extractions on patients using minimally invasive techniques and can provide after-care instructions to ensure patients recover quickly. Consult them if you must have a tooth removed in a simple surgical procedure to benefit your dental health.