Tooth Extractions

In modern minimally-invasive dentistry, the extraction of teeth is less common than it used to be. Where possible, we would always look to preserve your natural teeth. There are, however, still instances when an extraction is clinically necessary, or when an extraction may be recommended by your dentist:

• A tooth is impacted and can’t erupt, causing problems (common with wisdom teeth)
• A tooth is badly damaged or infected and is not salvageable
• Your teeth are overcrowded and the extraction of one (or more) teeth will aid orthodontic treatment to correct them
• Your overall health is at risk from an infected tooth

It will depend on how complex it is to remove. Your dentist will perform an X-ray of your jaw to determine whether your tooth can be removed easily or not. In simple cases, your dentist can remove the wisdom tooth quickly under local anaesthetic. In more difficult cases (such as when the tooth has a complex root formation), you may need a surgical procedure to remove the tooth. This would be carried out by our principal dentist Dr Jonathon Cochrane, who performs our most advanced oral surgery procedures.

No. With local anaesthetics and numbing agents, the most you will feel will be an odd sensation as the tooth is manipulated out of its socket. Sometimes a tooth may need to be carefully divided into smaller pieces to be removed but again, this will not cause you any pain.

We’re always happy to receive referrals for any of our dental services, we treat routine to very complex cases and we also help extremely nervous patients who require sedation in order to access dental treatment.