“What happens if a piece of tooth is left after extraction?”
I am a 44 year old male. I had a tooth extraction and feel like a piece of tooth is left after extraction. What happens if a piece of tooth is left after extraction?
2 Answers
Hello,
Sorry to hear about your extraction experience. Yes there are some times when a piece of tooth gets left behind; and a lot of times it is done on purpose. Sometimes a small piece of the root of a tooth can break and stay in the tooth socket. At this point, a determination is usually made about if it is worth the extra work on the jaw bone to remove it; or is the patient better off leaving it in there. One example of this is roots of the upper (maxillary) molars. These root tips sit very close to the sinus membrane, and one wrong move, then they can be pushed into the sinus. If one of these roots breaks, then the doctor should consider if it is worth the risk of pushing it into the sinus.
Now, once the piece is left behind there are two things that will usually happen. It will either remain in place and no longer be a problem, or it will start to exfoliate on its own.
However, usually when a patient feels like there is a piece of tooth left after an extraction, it is normally a bone chip that exfoliated after the extraction. This bone chip stays under the gums but is separate from the jaw bone. At this point the chip will work its way through the gums and come out on its own. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
Sorry to hear about your extraction experience. Yes there are some times when a piece of tooth gets left behind; and a lot of times it is done on purpose. Sometimes a small piece of the root of a tooth can break and stay in the tooth socket. At this point, a determination is usually made about if it is worth the extra work on the jaw bone to remove it; or is the patient better off leaving it in there. One example of this is roots of the upper (maxillary) molars. These root tips sit very close to the sinus membrane, and one wrong move, then they can be pushed into the sinus. If one of these roots breaks, then the doctor should consider if it is worth the risk of pushing it into the sinus.
Now, once the piece is left behind there are two things that will usually happen. It will either remain in place and no longer be a problem, or it will start to exfoliate on its own.
However, usually when a patient feels like there is a piece of tooth left after an extraction, it is normally a bone chip that exfoliated after the extraction. This bone chip stays under the gums but is separate from the jaw bone. At this point the chip will work its way through the gums and come out on its own. Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
It may be tooth or it may be bone. Return to the dental office and find out.
