The process of extracting a tooth is usually not painful at all this is typically due to the use of a local numbing agent in the form of an injection. In some cases, a patient can optionally elect to be sedated entirely so that they don’t have to be awake during the entire procedure.

When a tooth is pulled, this is typically what a dentist faces

1. The root portion of the tooth is firmly encased in bone (its socket), and tightly held in place by its ligament (the fibrous tissue between the tooth and bone that binds the two together, see picture).
2. To remove the tooth, the dentist must both “expand its socket” (widen and enlarge it, see next section) and separate it from its ligament.
3. After working towards this goal, a point is finally reached where the tooth is finally loose and free to come out.

What you’ll feel during your tooth extraction

1. You will feel pressure. But don’t assume that feeling pressure indicates that you’ll soon be feeling pain because it doesn’t. That sensation is transmitted by different nerve fibers and they have been put out of commission by the anesthetic.
2. Pain is typically not a significant factor during your procedure. But if you do feel some you should let your dentist know immediately so they can further numb the area to alleviate any discomfort. Make sure to be accurate in what you are reporting. More anesthetic will not take away the sensation of pressure. And in fact, the needless administration of additional quantities may place you at greater risk for complications during your procedure.

Pulling teeth is a fairly physical process. So because of this fact, it should be no surprise to learn that you may hear a minor snap or breaking noise during your procedure since hard tissues (teeth and bone) are involved. You may hear some crackling as your tooth is being slowly removed. The dentist will remove your tooth by wriggling it out of the cavity that it is firmly entrenched in. This is done slowly to ensure no ill effects to the surrounding teeth, gums, and jaw bone.

The good news is that most of these events are just routine and nothing to get excited about. The two most common ones are bone fracture and root breakage.

1. Bone Fracture: During an extraction, as pressure is applied to the tooth the spongy bone that surrounds its root will compress. The denser cortical plate, however, is more brittle and if it receives enough of this pressure it may snap. In the vast majority of cases, this type of breakage is just a minor event (a “hairline” fracture). After the tooth has been removed, the dentist will simply compress the empty socket so the bone is squished back into place. The fracture can be expected to heal, uneventfully, in tandem with the extraction site as a whole.

2. Root Breakage: You may hear your tooth’s root break during the extraction process. In fact this isn’t necessarily an infrequent occurrence. Root fracture is the most common intraoperative (during procedure) complication, occurring in 9 to 20% of cases (Ahel 2015). This statistic suggests that if a tooth fracture does occur, your dentist no doubt has had plenty of previous experience in dealing with it.

We are always looking for ways to avoid an extraction by keeping your oral health in order. This means that we will clean your teeth on a regular basis, discuss a healthy diet with you, and treat gum disease, cavities, and infections as they arise in order to keep your teeth healthy and intact.  A tooth extraction is always a last resort, and saving or restoring a tooth will always be the first consideration. However, if that is not possible, we will perform your tooth extraction delicately and carefully and discuss options for replacement such as dental implants.

If you live in the Long Island, New York or Franklin Square, NY are and feel pain in your tooth that you think may need to be removed, give our office a call at (516) 233-1227 and make your appointment with Dr. Nina Babayev today. If your tooth has an infection, you should not wait, potentially creating a worse issue. Call today.