What Patients Need to Know
About Tooth Extraction

Despite the many advances in modern dentistry, tooth extraction is still an important and necessary part of almost any dental practice. Although it can be nerve-wracking, especially for anxious patients, it is rarely an unpleasant experience.

The dentists at Stubbs Dental located in Bountiful, UT, and Layton, UT, have successfully performed thousands of tooth extractions. With this experience comes compassion: we are aware of the apprehension tooth extractions can cause. We work hard to make your appointment as comfortable as possible with gentle techniques, local anesthesia, and the calming effect of sedation.

A woman holding her jaw in pain. — Extracting a tooth can not only eliminate pain, but also a potential source of future infection.

Reasons for Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction may be necessary for many reasons, including:

Trapped Baby Teeth: Not surprisingly, these are the most commonly extracted teeth. While they generally come out on their own with little to no difficulty, the dentist may sometimes need to lend a helping hand.
Wisdom Teeth: Because they erupt so much later than the rest of our teeth, the third molars or wisdom teeth are often partially or fully stuck beneath the gums. Particularly susceptible to inflammation and infection, these are the permanent teeth that are most often extracted.
Orthodontics: Certain teeth are routinely removed during orthodontic treatment to create more space in the dental arch.
Severe Damage: Teeth that are too badly damaged by cavities or trauma for restoration are often extracted to prevent infection.
Gum Disease: If periodontal disease has left the jawbone deteriorated and unstable, removal is the best option for any remaining teeth.
Abscess: Teeth that have an infected nerve that does not respond to treatment with root canal therapy must be extracted.

Patients should keep in mind that we only recommend extraction when absolutely necessary. If there are other viable treatments available to you, we will explore those possibilities first.

What to Expect at Your Appointment

Before beginning the procedure, we can offer patients a number of sedation options to keep them comfortable during the appointment. Once you are relaxed, our doctors can anesthetize the tooth so that you feel no pain. Your dentist can then gently loosen the tooth or break it into several pieces and remove it with forceps. Once a stable blood clot has formed over the extraction site, patients are advised to go home and rest for the remainder of the day.

We only recommend extraction when absolutely necessary.

In the days after the procedure, you can expect some bleeding, swelling, and discomfort. However, you can manage most of these side effects with mild analgesics, ice packs, and simple pressure over the extraction site. In most cases, patients can resume normal activities the following day. However, it is vital that you avoid using straws or any other activities that involve sucking, as this movement can dislodge the blood clot over the extraction site.

In most cases, we will recommend restoring the missing tooth with a dental implant. We can discuss your candidacy and the entire treatment timeline during your initial appointment.

Count on Experienced Professionals

Patients who find themselves in need of tooth extraction should seek out a dentist with surgical experience and compassion. They will find both in the dentists at Stubbs Dental—and they will enjoy the red carpet experience their staff offers to all visitors to their office. Contact us today to reserve a time for your tooth extraction appointment!