Tooth Extraction

Sometimes a damaged or decayed tooth can be fixed with filling or a crown with/without root canal. Other times, however, the problem can be so severe or the damage or decay so advanced that only having a tooth removed can solve it.

Why Are Teeth Extracted?

There are many reasons why getting a tooth pulled may be necessary:

• Excessive tooth decay

• Tooth infection

• Crowding of the teeth

• To make room for other teeth to shift into place while wearing braces

• To remove compromised teeth from the mouth of someone preparing for an organ transplant or going through chemotherapy

You could have a tooth pulled by either a dentist or an oral surgeon. It’s an outpatient procedure and goes fairly quickly. Depending on the nature of the tooth extraction in VA (e.g., number of teeth to remove, location of the teeth, condition of the mouth, etc.) you’ll either be placed under general, local, or intravenous anesthesia or some combination thereof. It’s a simple process to extract visible teeth, but, if a tooth is below the surface, impacted, or broken, the procedure will be more involved.