Dentistry has changed a lot in the last few years. Today, removing a tooth requires less force and bone preservation techniques are utilized, all of which causes less pain. These new techniques also make it easier to place implant, bridges, or dentures, immediately, or in the future.

Teeth Extractions

Each individual tooth is important to the structure of the jaw and health of the surrounding teeth. For this reason, we will most often attempt to save the natural tooth using procedures such as fillings, inlays and onlays, build-ups and crowns or root canals. However, there are several possible reasons we might recommend extracting a tooth instead of saving it.

• There can be so much decay in the tooth that it can not be restored and may endanger the surrounding teeth and jaw. In this case we will recommend removing the tooth and replacing it with a bridge, dental implant, or removable partial denture.
• A baby tooth can cause problems if it does not fall out as it should. Most often, this is because the roots have not correctly dissolved. It will be important to remove the baby tooth to allow room for the permanent tooth to emerge.
• Misaligned or impacted teeth (such as the wisdom teeth) can cause pain or discomfort and effect the alignment of the rest of the jaw. Most often wisdom teeth, and adjacent teeth,  are too difficult to clean properly.

With most extractions, a local anesthetic will be all that is needed to make the procedure comfortable. Please discuss any concerns about sedation with Dr. Carley.

When a tooth has been removed, nearby teeth may move and cause problems with chewing or with your jaw joint. To avoid these complications,  Dr. Carley may recommend that you replace the extracted tooth with a dental implant, bridge, removable partial.

Dental implants are the most natural replacement for missing teeth because they mimic the natural tooth root as opposed to simply bridging the gap, as is done with bridge work.  Dental implants stimulate adjacent bone to be preserved. Because dental implants replace the tooth root, preserve bone, and with crown attached, they prevent the neighboring teeth from shifting and interfering with proper jaw function.

Patient Comfort

While no dental procedure is 100% comfortable, we go to great lengths to minimize any discomfort you might feel. We use some of the latest techniques to provide you with the most comfortable experience possible. To help make your experience pleasant, we welcome the use of personal music devices.

Many of our patients comment after treatment that it was surprisingly comfortable with little after-procedure discomfort.

Sedation Options

For those patients who would feel more comfortable using sedation, we offer nitrous oxide or oral sedatives to help you relax during your treatment.  Intravenous sedation (IV), delivered by a Board Certified Anesthesiologist, is also offered in the office.

Your comfort is one of our primary concerns. If you have any questions about sedation, please do not hesitate to discuss these with us.