Getting a tooth pulled is a scary prospect, but extractions are sometimes necessary to keep the rest of your mouth healthy. You’ll need a dentist’s help to remove the tooth in question – but will your family dentist do, or will you need to see a specialist? Let’s examine a few of the criteria that determine which professional is best suited for the job.
When a General Dentist Is Needed
Most tooth extractions can be performed by any licensed dentist, including your regular family dentist.
All dentists can take and interpret x-rays to assess the shape of a tooth’s roots, administer numbing injections to minimize pain, and carefully pull the tooth out using special dental pliers. While it’s a bit harder to pull a back tooth than a front one, most dentists will have no trouble with either job. They might recommend extracting a tooth if it’s heavily decayed, impacting the rest of your bite, or getting in the way of your braces.
When a Specialist Is Needed
In some cases, your dentist may refer you to a specialist dental surgeon (called a maxillofacial surgeon) for tooth extraction. These professionals are better equipped to handle tricky cases, such as:
- Impacted wisdom teeth
- Teeth with curved or unusually shaped roots
- Broken teeth
- Teeth that are being extracted before a bone graft
Specialists also handle routine extractions for people with complex medical conditions like heart problems or kidney disease. They have the equipment and expertise needed to quickly handle the situation if anything goes wrong during the procedure, making them the safest bet for these high-risk patients – especially for those who need oral or IV sedation during the procedure.
Every general dentist has different rules regarding extractions. For example, some aren’t comfortable extracting infected teeth or posterior teeth with multiple roots. Others handle these cases all the time. Your dentist will let you know whether they feel confident enough to extract your tooth on their own. If they recommend seeing a specialist, follow their advice!
Visit Us for Tooth Extractions and More
Don’t let fear keep you from getting a tooth pulled if it’s needed. Coscarella Family Dentistry is here to help you get through it. Contact us today to book an appointment with our team and get your first dental exam with us. We’ll take a look at your problem tooth and determine whether it really does need to be pulled. If it does, we’ll arrange for further treatment with us or refer you to a specialist in needed. Either way, we’ll get through this together.
