Dental Extraction

Dental Extraction

It is not uncommon that during dental extraction some of the jawbone around the tooth may be broken off or taken out with the tooth. Unlike most of the other dental health professionals, periodontists are specialized in performing atraumatic tooth extraction in which much effort is given to preserve the intactness of the jawbone around the tooth to be removed. This is critical especially if a bone grafting procedure or dental implant is to be placed immediately following tooth extraction. Furthermore, atraumatic tooth extraction is best for preserving the gum contour around the extracted tooth, thereby maximizing the gum esthetics.

Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to erupt into the mouth. When erupted properly, wisdom teeth do not need to be removed. When not erupted properly (partially emerging from the gums, growing sideways, backwards or downwards), wisdom teeth needs to be removed as soon as possible. The earlier these wisdom teeth are removed, the easier it is for the patients post-operatively (decreased surgical risks) and the less chance that these wisdom teeth can cause irreversible damages. If left inside the mouth, poorly erupted wisdom teeth can cause pain, bad breath, swelling, infection (peri-coronitis, gingival/periodontal abscess), localized gum disease, and dental decay (cavities) on the wisdom tooth or the tooth in front of it. Lastly, it is possible that erupting wisdom teeth may exert pressure against the other teeth thereby disrupting the orthodontic alignment of teeth.