Teeth are usually removed or extracted for the good of your dental health.

While your dentist at Dr Liezl Kemp & Associates will aim to preserve the health of your natural teeth, in some cases dental extraction (also referred to as tooth extraction, exodontia, exodontics, or informally, tooth pulling) is necessary.

Your dentist may advise removing a tooth if the tooth is diseased, decayed, damaged, is too crowded (generally the case with the eruption of the wisdom teeth) or has undergone extensive trauma.

What does tooth extraction involve?

Depending on the x-rays taken of your mouth, your dentist may advise a simple extraction or a surgical extraction.

Before a simple extraction you will receive local anesthesia to numb your mouth. The tooth is loosened from the dental alveolus (socket) in the alveolar bone and extracted with forceps.

For broken or unerupted teeth, a surgical extraction is needed. In such cases, an incision into the gum is needed to access the tooth and remove it. Those with certain medical conditions may receive general anaesthesia for surgical extraction.

Wisdom teeth that are at risk of causing problems - if and when erupting - are generally removed with a surgical extraction.

While wisdom teeth can be removed under general anaesthesia in the hospital, your dentist can also remove your wisdom teeth in the chair.