What if I need to have teeth taken out?
Sometimes people worry about this, sometimes not, but no-one comes to see Dr Nicky saying they wish they could have teeth taken out! It’s understandable to be a little apprehensive about it. Let’s try and take some of the mystery out of extractions.
There is a spectrum of opinion about whether or not to have teeth out for the relief of crowding (crowding means the teeth are too big for the jaw). To cut a long story short Dr Nicky’s opinion is in the middle somewhere. She will do her best to avoid taking teeth out, and if she needs to make a borderline decision she will discuss the advantages and disadvantages with you at the planning stage to help make a joint decision as to what is best for an individual case. There are different ways to make space for crowded teeth, such as interdental polishing and expansion, which also have a role to play.
Let’s assume the decision has been made to take out some teeth - what happens next? Unlike other orthodontists Dr Nicky is happy to do the extractions as part of your treatment plan at no extra charge, but she understands if you would prefer your own dentist to do it. It helps treatment to flow more quickly if extractions are done at Valley Orthodontics. Sometimes we stick braces on the same day, sometimes we add a plastic tooth to the brace for instant smiling.
How do you take it out?
- Some surface anaesthetic cream is put on the gum beside the tooth.
- Local anaesthetic is placed under the gum to make the tooth go numb. The injection might sting a little, like a nettle sting, for about 10 seconds. After that, nothing else is sore!
- After about 10 minutes the numbness is checked.
- The tooth is held with special metal holders (patients might hear them tapping the tooth) and Dr Nicky gradually starts to push along the long axis of the tooth. If anything feels even a bit sore, the patient says “Aah!” and we stop and wait for it to go more numb.
- After the first gradual push the tooth is slowly moved towards the cheek and held there for a moment or two, then slowly moved the other way.
- Usually after two or three pushes the tooth starts to move. It makes all sorts of squelching and eggshell cracking noises - a good sign!
- Once the tooth comes out we give patients a pad to bite on for a couple of minutes until the hole stops bleeding.
- Dr Nicky will tell you all about looking after it at home.
What if I’m scared?
That’s OK! We go very slowly and listen to patient’s concerns as we go along. Most people say at the end it was far easier than they thought it would be.
Can I go to sleep for extractions?
Routine orthodontic extractions are not available under general anaesthetic on the NHS for any age group. This is because the risks of general anaesthetic outweigh the benefits of the extraction. Some centres offer extractions under sedation on a private basis (not Valley Orthodontics).
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Any information contained in this website is of a general nature and should not be used as a substitute for the personal advice patients receive when consulting an orthodontic specialist face to face. Links to other websites are provided for patients’ interest. These links do not imply that Valley Orthodontics endorses the contents of the linked site.