When someone says, “It’s like pulling teeth,” they are generally referring to a troublesome task of trying to do something difficult and frustrating.

We have a feeling that this idiom has origins in the early days of dentistry, where anesthetic/anesthesia options were very limited, along with the comprehensive knowledge of dentistry utilized today. There is some truth to this idiom, as dental extraction — a process by which an entire tooth is removed from your jaw — is viewed as a last resort for teeth that can’t be saved because of decay, damage or the possible negative impact on other teeth, as a result of infection or growth.

As it turns out, modern science and technology can’t save that which is irreversible.

Sometimes, teeth are just that bad. As a result, they’ve gotta go…

A Dental Extraction Duo

According to Colgate, there are two possible categories assigned to a tooth extraction. Each designation is based on whether the impacted tooth is visible or not.

• Simple extraction: a procedure defined by whether a tooth is visible. For this type of extraction, your dentist will typically use a tool called a dental elevator, which loosens the tooth before relying on forceps to remove the tooth. Easy and straight-forward. A simple extraction.
• Surgical extraction: a more complex procedure than their counterpart, surgical extractions are for teeth that haven’t come in yet, but are visible via x-ray fluorescence. Wisdom teeth are a great example of a common surgical extraction.

Examining Extractions

Depending on the type of extraction involved, you will be given an anesthetic, either local or general, before the procedure. After that, your dentist uses the aforementioned surgical tools to assist with the complete removal of an entire tooth from your jaw. Needless to say, you may feel a bit of pressure, but the procedure shouldn’t be painful.

After the extraction, as cited by Healthline, your dentist will discuss pain management options with you.

For those of you who have yet to quit smoking, it is imperative that you do not smoke while your gum tissue is healing. Doing so could result in a dry socket, which will be painful to manage while your body is already working to recuperate. And as much as you may want to avoid doing so, you do still need to continue brushing and flossing your teeth daily. Just avoid any tender tissues around the extraction site.

Ultimately, modern dentistry has made pulling teeth as we know it today much less like “pulling teeth,” if you know what we mean.

Like all dental issues, prolonging the dental extraction process will only make matters worse. Don’t complicate an existing problem by attempting to ignore it. Call Crown Dental at 603-521-7739, and let Dr. Chen determine your need for a possible extraction.