A tooth broken beyond repair, that’s damaged by decay, or that just doesn’t fit in your mouth may need extraction. Trust Dr. Alan Esla to evaluate your teeth and determine any that may need to be removed for health reasons. Residents of the Bakersfield, California, area can consult with Dr. Esla at Esla Oral & Facial Surgery; call to make an appointment or use the online booking tool.
During a tooth extraction, Dr. Esla removes the tooth from the socket in the bone. Wisdom teeth often need to be extracted. Other reasons you may have a tooth extraction include:
Wisdom teeth are sometimes called the third molars. Wisdom teeth usually come in during your late teens or early 20s. Often, people have them extracted before they erupt through the gums because they don’t have enough room in their mouth for the extra teeth. The average mouth holds 28 teeth; an extra four wisdom teeth proves to be too many teeth for some people.
Sometimes, wisdom teeth stay impacted, or below the gum line, causing pain, swelling, and infection.
If your wisdom teeth are aligned properly and your gum tissue is healthy, you may not need to have them removed. You do have to take extra care to keep them clean, as they’re susceptible to decay.
In most people, however, the wisdom teeth do not erupt properly. They grow sideways, emerge only partially, or remain trapped between the gum and the bone.
Dr. Esla performs two types of extractions. For teeth above the gum’s surface, he can do a simple extraction. Dr. Esla loosens the tooth and then uses forceps to remove it.
When teeth have not yet come through the gums, they need a surgical extraction, as with impacted wisdom teeth, or on a tooth that broke off at the gum line. Dr. Esla makes an incision in your gum and removes the tooth.
Both types of extraction require local anesthesia. For a surgical extraction, you may receive drugs to help you relax in addition to local anesthesia, or you may get anesthesia via an IV. Some patients may need to be put under general anesthesia for surgical extractions.
