In the old west, pulling a tooth meant heading to the barber shop where the town barber would grab a pair of pliers and start pulling. If the barber was not available, people may pull a tooth by tying a string to a door and slamming the door shut.

Modern dentistry has made a few improvements and a tooth extraction is not as violent as it once was. While some extractions are relatively simple, some are not and require a surgical approach. You may wonder what makes a simple extraction turn surgical.

A simple extraction is when our dental professionals can use forceps and pull a tooth out. This requires that the tooth is visible above the gum line. It is possible to pull the entire tooth including the root. After the removal of the tooth, there is no need for stitches to close the wound.

The gums will heal on their own without the need for anything else. While a local anesthetic can make the procedure painless, there is not need for more than that with a simple extraction.

A surgical extraction happens more often than people may think. It is more common for a person to have a surgical extraction than it is to have a simple extraction. Some of the reasons for a surgical extraction include:

• When the tooth has not fully emerged above the gum line. This is something that often happens when wisdom teeth begin to grow.
• If the tooth breaks. Surgery is often the best way to remove all the pieces of a tooth that breaks.
• If the tooth has long roots. When long roots are seen on an x-ray, it is easier to perform a surgical extraction.

Most people don’t want to hear that they need a surgical extraction. The word surgery is scary, but it does not have to be. Many surgical extractions are easier and less painful than a simple extraction. The time for recovery is short and a person can move on after the extraction.

Contact our office to schedule an appointment with one of our dental professionals.