Understanding Tooth Extraction: What You Need to Know

Why does your tooth need to be extracted?
Many times it is due to a cavity (caries) that has made it impossible to fix with a filing or crown. In other cases it is due to gum disease (periodontal disease) that has caused enough bone loss around your tooth that it is no longer healthy to keep. Another reason may be due to a crack in the tooth.

What would happen if you don’t get your tooth extracted?
In most cases you would be in a lot of pain! If your tooth is fractured and it is not removed it is possible that bone loss around the tooth may happen which makes it difficult to replace. If you don’t have a tooth taken out that has gum disease (that can no longer be treated), your body has to constantly try to fight an infection which makes it unhealthy for you.

Why do I need a bone graft?
When a tooth is removed there is always a small amount of bone that dissolves away in the process. In order to preserve the bone in the area where your tooth is removed, a bone graft is performed at the same time your tooth is removed. In many cases this eliminates the need for additional bone grafting after the tooth is removed. This ensures the ability to replace your tooth with a dental implant.

Tooth Extraction and Bone Grafting: When a tooth is extracted, the socket will be meticulously cleaned. A bone graft is then placed to fill the empty space where your root was in the bone. A collagen wound dressing is placed over the top of the graft and a few sutures are placed to hold everything in place. There is no additional discomfort related to the bone graft. Most people don’t even realize anything else was done in addition to the tooth extraction. The area will be mostly healed after 2 weeks and completely healed after 1 month.