“How does a dentist remove a broken tooth?”
I am a 33 year old male. I want to know how does a dentist remove a broken tooth?
3 Answers
There are many different situations that arise during an extraction. Does the tooth have a history of a root canal? Does the tooth have extensive decay? Does the tooth have an infection? How much residual tooth is present? Each situation poses different challenges for an extraction. In general, if an infection is present, the patient should be on an antibiotic at least 3 days prior to extraction, sometimes longer. If a tooth has minimal amount of structure above gum line or a history of root canal there is a high chance of a surgical extraction needed. OK... so let me just run through an average extraction. We utilize local anesthetic to numb the tooth and surrounding tissues. An instrument (periotome or periosteal elevator) is used to push gum tissue away from tooth. Another instrument (elevator) is used to apply pressure to lift tooth to begin detachment from the socket (bone). Lastly, a forcep is used to create a pattern of movement with the tooth that expands the socket (bone) to effectively remove the tooth.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
When a tooth is planned to be removed/extracted, after you are number with anesthesia, the tooth is loosen from its socket and wiggled out...
Hello,
Removing a broken tooth is a good question. The age old expression of ".. its like pulling teeth" is fun to say but fundamentally wrong. Dentists do not pull teeth out (actually that is how they break). Dentist manipulate teeth out, and a lot of times they do that by pushing. Believe it or not, in a lot of cases, a broken tooth is easier to remove than an intact tooth (because there is more pushing than pulling).
Whether or not the tooth is broken, the dentist is going to start by moving the gums (gingiva) off of the tooth, and then using instruments expand the slightly expand the socket that the tooth sits in. Once this expansion is done the dentist will push the tooth to the side in all different directions. At this point the tooth will want to rise up out of the socket (think about what would happen if you slide your finger down the side of a martini glass and until you hit the bottom. The olive resting in the bottom will pop up). This is continued until the tooth comes all the way out, or the tooth is able to be grabbed with something. Hope this helps.
My best to you
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Removing a broken tooth is a good question. The age old expression of ".. its like pulling teeth" is fun to say but fundamentally wrong. Dentists do not pull teeth out (actually that is how they break). Dentist manipulate teeth out, and a lot of times they do that by pushing. Believe it or not, in a lot of cases, a broken tooth is easier to remove than an intact tooth (because there is more pushing than pulling).
Whether or not the tooth is broken, the dentist is going to start by moving the gums (gingiva) off of the tooth, and then using instruments expand the slightly expand the socket that the tooth sits in. Once this expansion is done the dentist will push the tooth to the side in all different directions. At this point the tooth will want to rise up out of the socket (think about what would happen if you slide your finger down the side of a martini glass and until you hit the bottom. The olive resting in the bottom will pop up). This is continued until the tooth comes all the way out, or the tooth is able to be grabbed with something. Hope this helps.
My best to you
William F. Scott IV, DMD
